Srinagar
Several measures ranging from infrastructure upgrade to installation of advanced equipment aimed at ensuring round-the-clock provision of potable tap water are in progress in Srinagar.
This was informed in a meeting convened here Wednesday 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 areas in rural Srinagar under the potable tap water network.
It was said that this will see some 4000 left-out households being added to the network and supplied potable tap water as is their right.
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 only about half of the households have registered water connections in the Srinagar city 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 — 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 said relevant processes like census of covered and uncovered and registered and unregistered households and commercial establishments and Geotagging and Aadhaar linkage thereof will be taken up soon. He said public awareness and participation activities will also be taken up as part thereof.
The meeting also reviewed the status 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 expedite the 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 while speaking on the occasion 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.
JD Planning Srinagar and Superintending Engineer and Executive Engineers of different divisions of PHE attended the meeting.
