In a bid to expand and remodel the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation facilities in the water logged areas of the state, the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today gave nod for sending a proposal worth Rs 2200 crore to the Government of India (GoI) for further recommending the case to the World Bank under Rural Water Supply Sanitation Project Phase-2.Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that main objective of this ambitious project was to provide quality water supply and sanitations facilities in the rural areas of the state. Under the proposed project, the State Government has laid special emphasis on providing the Water Supply and Sanitation facilities to water logged areas of the state. The Punjab Government has sought expansion and remodeling of 70 existing schemes of rural water supply and sanitation in the 108 villages of Sri Muktsar Sahib and Fazilka districts at a cost of Rs. 175 crores.
Likewise, in order to provide water connections to all the households of the 800 villages, the state government has proposed the up gradation of the service level of 800 water supply schemes from 40 to 70 litre water per person per day with an investment of Rs. 300 crore. He further said that the state government has also desired to improve the operational performance and efficiency of existing water supply schemes in 1000 villages with Rs 125 crore which were already functioning at service level of 70 litre per capita per day.
The Punjab government has also proposed the implementation of piped 'solid free sewerage system' in 800 villages with effluent treatment as per guidelines of pollution control with an investment of Rs. 1300 crore. It has further desired to install RO system and other suitable technology in 250 villages with the cost of Rs 50 crore where undesirable contaminants were more than the permissible limits, he said. The Punjab government also proposed to strengthen the Information Education Communication (IEC), Capacity Building and Engineering support activities with establishment of state Level Training Institute in the state.
It might be mentioned here that World Bank Support Mission had reviewed the ongoing rural water supply and sanitation schemes of PRWSS Project under implementation with cost of Rs. 1280 crores last month and expressed full satisfaction on its progress and implementation.