To provide pure and safe drinking water to the people of the State, the department of PHE has decided to shift from conventional techniques of water treatment to ultra modern technology.In this regard, the Minster for PHE, Irrigation & Flood Control Sham Lal Chaudhary today held a meeting with the representatives of Ion Exchange Company, which deals in latest water treatment technology.During the meeting, the representatives gave a brief presentation about the water treatment technology.Speaking at the meeting, the Minister said to begin with, department is planning to establish compact water treatment plants in Ramban, Rajouri and Samba districts on pilot basis.The water treatment plants selected by a team of experts of the department include Lampak, Fluidized Media Reactor, Lamella Clarifier and others, which consume less space, save time, have low operating cost and extended life span.In the meeting, the Minister enquired about the details of these units including the time required for installation, maintenance and operating cost, manpower, efficiency and flexibility to upgrade these units depending upon the need of the particular areas. He further asked the concerned to prepare a report after conducting a detailed comparative study of the present conventional system and the new technology to assess the cost effectiveness and other benefits.
The Minister was informed about the benefits of these compact water treatment units, as the same have become popular in the States having land constraints.The Minister said the establishment of these units would further strengthen the capability of the department to provide clean, safe and round-the-clock drinking water to the people of the State. These new technological advancements will definitely help the department in realizing the goal of providing 24X7 safe water supplies, he added.Secretary to Govt, PHE, I&FC Department Saurabh Bhagat, Chief Engineer, PHE Susheel Aima, other senior functionaries of the department and representatives of Ion Exchange were present in the meeting.Earlier in the day, a deputation of residents of Narwal and its adjoining areas led by senior BJP leader, Vikram Randhawa met the Minister and apprised him about the problem of irregular water supply and illegal water connections in the area.The Minister gave a patient hearing to their problems and directed the concerned officers to check illegal connections, if any, and remove them at the earliest. He assured them that their genuine demands would be redressed in stipulated time frame.