Srinagar, Dec 15 (KNS): Hosts of measures ranging from coverage of households in uncovered areas under tap water network to infrastructure upgrade to installation of advanced hardware are being taken to strengthen the potable tap water network in Srinagar the aim being to ensure round-the-clock provision to all of around 2.5 lac households in the district.
This was informed in a meeting convened here Sunday under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary.
The meeting was informed that in addition to upgrading infrastructure which includes replacing old with new supply lines and enhancing storage capabilities the plan includes covering all so-far uncovered households in rural areas of Srinagar under the potable tap water network.
The district administration has fixed 1 March 2020 as deadline before which all households across the district will be connected under the network and provided potable tap water.
Those households - in rural or urban areas of the district - who do not have potable tap water connections or have not registered their existing connections have been asked to approach the concerned PHE sub-division up to December 21 to register.
It was informed that the concerned Assistant Executive Engineers have been designated as nodal officers for providing registered connections to all households in areas falling within their respective jurisdictions. It was informed that existing tap water connections in the district which are not registered will be disconnected.
The plan also includes installation of smart water meters — the aim being to discourage misuse of potable water. It was said the measure is aimed at the larger goals of water conservation and efficient response to issues of disruption.
It was informed that just about two-thirds of the households have registered water connections in the district adding that this fact poses huge difficulties to the PHE department in its efforts to deal with associated issues and provide potable water to all residents.
It was said the installation of smart water meters — which is an approved component under the Srinagar Smart City project — will remove these difficulties and enable an efficient and reliable potable water provision mechanism.
The DC while speaking on the occasion said relevant processes like census of covered and uncovered and registered and unregistered households and commercial establishments and geotagging and Aadhaar linkage thereof are being taken up as part of the process. He said public awareness and participation activities have also been planned as part thereof.
The meeting also reviewed the status details of languishing projects of PHE in the district. It was informed that all required funding of 72 crore rupees has been released for completing 17 languishing projects involving a total cost of 336 crore rupees.
The department was asked to speed up execution of all these projects in order for their earliest possible completion. It was said the performance of officers will be monitored against targets to ensure time-bound executions.
Dr Shahid also stressed the need to activate village water and sanitation committees in rural areas and involve urban population at the ward level adding that the involvement of locals will result in establishing a robust distribution network.
The meeting also discussed other relevant details and requirements that need attention. It was informed that a plan for rainwater harvesting is also under formulation adding that required means and measures will be put in place soon.
Joint Director Planning Srinagar and Superintending Engineer and Executive Engineers of all three divisions of PHE Srinagar attended the meeting. (KNS)