Jharkhand drafts plan to supply drinking water to people of 18 towns

The Jharkhand government has drafted a Rs 2,300 crore plan to provide drinking water facilities to around 100,000 people living in areas under 18 urban local bodies of the state

The Jharkhand government has drafted a Rs 2,300 crore plan to provide drinking water facilities to around 10 lakh people living in areas under 18 urban local bodies of the state.

The projects will be funded by agencies such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme of the central government, an official release said here on Saturday.

Jharkhand Urban Infrastructure Development Company (JUIDCO), a wing of the state urban development department, will implement the projects.

The scheme will be completed in a stipulated time frame, as the government's priority is to provide pure drinking water to every urban citizen as soon as possible, State Urban Development Authority Director Amit Kumar said.

JUIDCO Deputy General Manager Alok Mandal said the drinking water supply projects in Gumla, Lohardaga and Jamtara will be implemented with Rs 500 crore assistance from the Asian Development Bank.

The same facilities will be developed for Rs 1,800 crore in 15 other urban local bodies including Barki Saraiya, Dhanwar, Domchanch, Kapali and Chhatarpur, the release said.

Of them, the World Bank will provide financial support of Rs 1,200 crore for the projects in 13 towns, while Rs 600 crore will be spent under the AMRUT scheme in two others.

AMRUT scheme under the Union ministry of Housing and urban affairs seeks to providing basic services like water supply, sewerage and urban transport to households and build amenities in cities.

JUIDCO held a meeting of prospective bidders for the project here on Friday.

The Jharkhand government recently said that it was working on a war footing to provide tap water connection to every rural household under the Jal Jeevan Mission by 2024.

Jal Jeevan Mission under Union Jalshakti Ministry is envisioned to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024 to all households in rural India.