Uttarakhand Home Secretary reviews water supply schemes, orders action on leakages and incomplete projects

Rudrapur (Uttarakhand) [India], July 20 : Uttarakhand Home Secretary Shailesh Bagauli conducted an inspection of various drinking water schemes in Rudrapur and Gadarpur development blocks during his tour of Udham Singh Nagar district, a release said on Sunday.
As part of the visit, Secretary Bagauli thoroughly assessed the quality of the ongoing schemes, the status of functional household tap connections (FHTC), and the effectiveness of the drinking water supply across the region.
He reviewed the quality of a 300 mm diameter, 210 meter-deep, 500 LPM capacity tube well and 100 KL vertical reservoir with 17-meter staging in Danpur Ekal Gram Drinking Water Scheme, which was found to be excellent. Under the scheme, FHTC connections have been provided to 314 families, the release said.
On the spot, 5 houses were selected and information was taken about water supply time, pressure and quality of water, which was satisfactory.
The release further stated that the quality of a 300 mm diameter, 200-meter depth, 700 LPM capacity tube well and 150 KL, 20-meter staging vertical reservoir in Raipur Ekal Gram Drinking Water Scheme was inspected. Under this scheme, FHTC connections have been given to 532 families.
During the inspection, some villagers of Raipur village complained of pipeline leakage. On this, the Executive Engineer was instructed to immediately inspect and stop the leakage and send the compliance report to the headquarters within a week.
The quality of a 300 mm diameter, 193 meter depth, 500 LPM capacity tube well and 100 KL, 17 meter staging vertical reservoir in Sarovarnagar Bahul Gram Drinking Water Scheme was also found to be of a high level. Under the scheme, FHTC connections have been given to 521 families.
During the inspection, it was found that 25 families of Sarovarnagar village had refused to take tap connections. Secretary Bagauli directed that special efforts should be made to provide connections to these families, and the work should be completed within a month.
Secretary Bagauli, while reviewing the AMRUT-I scheme, said that many consumers in two zones have not yet taken water connections. He directed the Executive Engineer to coordinate with the Municipal Commissioner and run a special public awareness campaign so that people become aware of the benefits of a piped water supply and are motivated to take the connection.
He also directed that regular water quality testing should be done and the general public should be informed about the cleanliness, continuity and health utility of the piped water supply as compared to hand pumps. Secretary Shri Bagauli expressed dissatisfaction over some works not being completed yet under the AMRUT-I scheme. He said that a clear action plan should be prepared and a time-bound program should be sent to the headquarters within a week.
Secretary Bagauli also inspected the 25 KLD capacity Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant (FSTP) built in Rudrapur city. Here, 10-12 sludge tankers are being effectively treated every day, the quality of which was found to be satisfactory. He directed that the estimated faecal sludge per day should be calculated on the basis of the population of the city and the average frequency of emptying of septic tanks, and it should be compared with the actual quantity reaching the FSTP. If a difference is found between the two, then a practical action plan should be made to remove it.