Minister for Health and Medical Education Mr Bali Bhagat on behalf of PHE Minister today informed the house that presently water supply to Baramulla town is being provided through two water treatment plants of 1.60 MGD at Bagh-e-Islam and 1.40 MGD at Azad Gunj. For Khwajabagh, the Minister said that water is supplied from 0.35 MGD slow sand filtration plant at Fateh Garh, Baramulla.He said these plants had been constructed long back and the efficiency of these plants has got reduced considerably, which sometimes causes inadequacy in the supplies, particularly during peak summer.The Minister was replying to a question by Mr Javid Hassan Beg. The Minister said that the department is exploring the possibility of identifying a source of funding for a new project for augmentation of drinking water supplies for Baramulla.In reply to another question by Mr Gulzar Ahmad Wani, Minister of State for PHE, Syed Farooq Ahmad Andrabi informed the House that a number of water supply schemes, particularly Water Supply scheme Old Shangus, Uttersoo, Nowgaam and Kothar were commissioned long back and water has been supplied at the rate of 40 LPCD.
The Minister further added that these schemes have exhausted design period thus resulting in the shortage of water being supplied to the concerned areas.The Minister said that in order to improve and upgrade the water supplies upto 55 LPCD, regional water supply scheme Shangus was conceived at a cost of Rs 33.07 Crore under NRDWP and Rs 88 lakhs were spent upto last fiscal, adding that the Detailed Project Report, which has been formulated is under scrutiny.In reply to another question by Mr Yawar Dilawar Mir, the Minister said that work on Check-e-Gujri Irrigation Scheme is going under CSS at an estimated cost of Rs 28.66 crore approved under 8th TC in the year 2009-10 having a cumulative expenditure of Rs 17.78 crore upto last financial year.