CM Siddaramaiah directs officials to take measures over drinking water problem in some districts due to lack of rain

PTI, Jun 12, 2023, 7:25 PM IST

Credit: @CMofKarnataka / Twitter

Bengaluru: Taking note of severe drinking water woes in some places due to lack of rain in the last few days, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday chaired a meeting in which he directed district administrations concerned to take immediate measures to ease people’s worries.

The Chief Minister held a video conference with the district administrations of Bidar, Kalaburagi, Yadgiri, Raichur, Koppala, Bellary, Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of the state in this regard, and reviewed the Jal Jeevan Mission’s progress in these eight districts.

The Jal Jeevan Mission is a scheme initiated by the Centre aimed at providing every rural household with drinking water supply in adequate quantity of prescribed quality on regular and long-term basis at affordable service delivery charges leading to improvement in living standards of rural communities.

”Monsoon has started in the state on June 10. As per the information from June 1 to 11, the state received less than the usual rainfall. There is a shortage of 67 per cent. The Meteorological Department has predicted that rainfall will be normal in the coming days,” the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said in a release.

But due to lack of rain in the last few days, the government has taken notice of severe drinking water problems in some districts, it said. In 15 districts of the state, drinking water is being provided through tankers in 322 villages and private borewells are being rented in 148 villages.

There was a drinking water problem in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts due to a shortfall in pre-monsoon rains, officials sharing the details of the meeting chaired by the Chief Minister said. As the monsoon has begun, the water problem is expected to be resolved in the coming days.

In Raichur and Koppal districts, though there is no shortage of drinking water, the issue of contaminated water is being taken seriously, they said. Senior officials of the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department have been instructed to visit the spot, conduct an inquiry and submit a report. Based on its report, the Chief Secretary has been directed to take action.

Zilla Panchayat CEOs should visit the taluk and the functioning of Panchayat Development Officers (PDOs) should be monitored. They should check the quality of water pipeline installation under the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme and have been suggested to take action in case of broken pipes or any other problem, the release added.

According to officials, the Chief Minister informed the district administrations during the meeting that the issue of drinking water should be dealt with carefully and action should be taken to provide water within 24 hours of the problem.

District in-charge secretaries were also instructed to take precautions in this regard, he said, adding if drinking water problem arises in any district, action should be taken to solve it immediately.

Warning that cases of consumption of contaminated water should not recur, Siddaramaiah told officials that it is their responsibility to provide clean drinking water to all people.

”Grants will be provided if required. Don’t shift the responsibility by giving lame excuses. The issue of drinking water is a very sensitive issue. It would be good if it rains and the drinking water problem is solved. Otherwise, the authorities should be alert 24 hours a day and solve the water problem. Take action using the powers provided to you,” he said.

The district in-charge officials have been asked to be in touch with the minister and provide proper information about the water problem, the release said. Care should be taken to ensure that there is no drinking water problem for cattle as well.

A review was made at the meeting regarding the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission in the state, and it was decided to identify projects with sustainable water sources under this scheme and implement them on priority basis.

It was decided to conduct a third party audit of the works of this project and reverse osmosis (RO) plants installed in the state.