Advisor to Governor, Khurshid Ganai on Monday directed Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department to follow Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in ensuring supply of clean and safe drinking water to people.On his whirlwind tour to central Kashmir’s Budgam district and summer capital Srinagar, Ganai also visited Sukhnag Water Supply Treatment Plant and Doodhganga Water Treatment Plant.The Advisor also sought the cooperation of the people in keeping water sources safe and free from contamination.“We should have a mechanism in place to involve people in de-polluting and cleaning the water bodies. There should also be an increase in the availability of pure water,” he said. “We have also to ensure safe, reliable, and affordable supply of drinking water that is necessary for health and standard of living,” Ganai said.Ganai directed PHE officials to prepare phase-wise scheme for provision of filtration plants for water schemes, which are without the filtration plants. He said augmentation of the financial resources should be done under the National Rural Drinking Water Programe (NRDWP).The Advisor was accompanied by Chief Engineer, PHE, Ghulam Muhammad Bhat, SE, Hydraulic Circe Latief Ahmad Malik, Executive Engineers, AEEs among other officers of police and civil administration.
Meanwhile the PHE officials informed the Advisor that the Sukhnag Water Supply Scheme, in Budgam district, has been constructed and commissioned by the Department at a cost of around Rs 121 crore. The funds for the project were sanctioned under JnNURM. The scheme, according to officials covers over three lakh people in 85 habitations in Zone IV of Greater Srinagar through urban service reservoirs and main service reservoirs in areas which include Nasrullahpora, Reshipora, Humhama, Jeelanabad, HMT, Zainakote, Narakara, Gurteng, Parthan, Watrihail, Putlibagh and Aalipora.Later the Advisor also visited the Water Treatment Plant, Doodhganga at Kralpora. The Advisor was informed that water supply system Doodhganga supplies water to Zone III of Greater Srinagar and the capacity of the treatment plant is 10 MGD.