Complete Jal Jeevan Mission by 2024, Centre tells Southern states

Hyderabad: Union water resources minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Monday asked southern states to complete the Centre’s Jal Jeevan Mission works by 2024. In reply, the states told him that the Centre has to provide funds. The mission aims to provide tap water to all households in the country.

The minister said the Centre was consulting Nabard (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) and other financial institutions to fund the scheme.

The minister said the people’s participation was important. Mr Singh was speaking at a review meeting of officials of southern states on Monday in the city.

Telangana state Chief Secretary S.K. Joshi told the minister that the Centre has to provide funds for Jal Jeevan Mission to the states on the basis of population.

Mr Singh also met Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao at Pragathi Bhavan on Monday. A CMO press release of the meeting said that the Union minister said that the Centre was examining the the possibility of implementing a Mission Bhagiratha-type of scheme to provide safe drinking water to every household all over the country.

The release stated that Mr Singh said providing safe drinking water was the minimum responsibility of the government.

He suggested that the state government study the improvised sewerage treatment plant system from where treated water be used for domestic and agricultural purposes.

Mr Rao and state officials gave Mr Singh a PowerPoint presentation on Mission Bhagiratha works.

Mr Rao told Mr Singh that the state government had decided to provide safe drinking water for 24,000 habitation in the state through Mission Bhagiratha. The government had taken up the scheme to purify water from the Godavari and the Krishna rivers and supply it to the people daily. Mr Rao said, “the central government has fixed its aim and objective to provide safe drinking water to the people all over the country. The Telangana state government is already fulfilling this aim.”

Fill irrigation tanks in Suryapet district: K Chandrasekhar Rao

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has directed officials to fill irrigation tanks in Suryapet district, which is facing an acute shortage, with water from the Godavari. He said for the last 20 days Godavari river water had been been diverted up to the Suryapet district.

Mr Rao on Monday reviewed the situation with minister G. Jagadish Reddy and enquired how the water flow was, and how many days of supply was required. The chief minister said that since water was available, the government was ready to release water for as many days as required and fill the tanks in Suryapet.

He said that that if any repairs were to be done to the canals they should be completed immediately for the smooth flow of water.