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Haryana spends Rs 380 crore on drinking water scheme

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GURGAON: The state government has spent over Rs 380 crore on sundry water supply projects under the Indira Gandhi Drinking Water Scheme, according to official records. The scheme was launched in November 2006, with the intention of getting piped water supply to underprivileged sections of the society. Those overseeing the project say they have attained 96% of the target that was set before them - getting drinking water to more than 10 lakh households.

"Under the drinking water scheme, piped connections have already been given to around 9,99,431 households in the state," said a government official. He said by March, another 36,000 households would be added to this figure, bringing the seven-year-old project to a culmination.

The overall budget for the drinking water scheme has also been revised recently. What was projected to take Rs 425 crore, from start to finish, is now going to cost slightly more, according to officials. "The amount to be spent under the scheme has been increased from Rs 425 crore to Rs 433 crore. We are looking at a March 31 deadline for this," the official added.

Many rural areas in Haryana fall on the state's semi-arid belt, where water is anyway a scarcity and people depend on the diminishing groundwater reserves for sustenance. "The scheme aims at getting to such households, belonging to people from the scheduled caste, and provide them with free water connections," said another official.

Apart from getting the taps running, the project also aims at setting up fresh water sources in select localities. "We are setting up water tanks of 200 litre capacity in these areas. Additional water sources are also being set up, and existing sources are being augmented," the official said. Government sources say that Haryana is the only state in the country to have embarked on such a project out of its own budgetary provisions.