Prepared to tackle possible water crisis: Minister

Calling for various plans to ensure that the 4.04 crore population in 1.26 lakh habitations in 12,524 village panchayats in 385 panchayat unions attached to 31 districts did not suffer, he said officials would be posted at the panchayat and taluk levels. 

Also, district collectors were ordered to conduct weekly meetings to review the water situation and to take immediate action. To ensure that motors functioning properly without breaking down, concerned officials have been ordered to check them through weekly meetings. All impaired hand and power pumps should be repaired within three days, the minister said. 

He also ordered that both overhead and ground level water tanks be cleaned once a fortnight and that water should be properly chlorinated before distribution to the public. 

All panchayats were ordered to have enough stocks of bleaching powder and chlorine tablets. Areas where normal water supply was not possible should be covered with tanker supply, he said. All panchayat officials should oversee water distribution to their area through a special software created for this purpose the minister said and added that hamlets where water was supplied once in three days should be identified and action taken to correct the situation. 

Calling on officials to ensure priority to drinking water schemes for the state’s three tier panchayat system, he said in the current year, Rs 656 crore central finance grant and another Rs 207.14 state finance grant had been released to ensure problem free water supply to all areas. He also called on officials to undertake awareness camps to educate the public about not wasting water. Calling on officials to ensure that targets for all development schemes were completed before the financial year end he ordered that street lights in village panchayats should have 100% coverage. 

In a bid to ensure work for farmers rendered jobless due to lack of rain, he said the number of man-days under the MGNREGA had been  increased to 35 crore with  the addition of 3.5 crore man-days recently.