Clean water is closely related not only to people’s health but to the nation’s economy as well. Imagine living in a city in India where the government is able to provide you with pure and clean drinking water, all around the day! Wouldn’t it be so much better! But in a country like ours, where groundwater is getting contaminated by the day and its level is falling drastically, this seems next to impossible.
Pure groundwater is difficult to find these days and has become a rare sight. This might be the reason why our government is not able to make clean water available to us at all times, as it will require tremendous amount of work and resources. But today, even the impossible has been made possible in the city of Puri, Odisha where every household is now receiving pure drinking water, directly from pipes and taps, all around the clock.
‘SUJAL MISSION’
Under the ‘Sujal Mission – Drink from Tap’ scheme, about 2.5 lakh residents of Puri will be benefitted. With this, Puri has become the first city in the country to give pure drinking water, directly from the taps, 24×7. Only very few cities in the entire world have this facility available to them.
In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, the District Collector of Puri, Mr. Samarth Verma said, “We are providing pure water around the clock to 34,000 households through taps. Also, 150 water fountains have been installed for the incoming tourists in the city, through which they will also be able to get drinking water directly.”
Approximately over 2 crores tourists will be receiving its benefit. Worldwide famous for Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra, Puri began working on this scheme in October last year. Efficient work by the Department of Urban Development and Housing and implementation by the District Administration resulted in the completion of work within a span of nine months, resulting in distribution of clean drinking water to 114 urban local bodies, thereby benefitting lakhs of people.
Simultaneously, with the installation of drinking water fountains, the tourists would not have to roam around here and there in search of clean (and often costlier ) mineral water. The need to store or filter groundwater will also be eliminated. Just open the tap, get clean water, and it’s done!
WATER QUALITY
Mr. Verma told Indian Masterminds, “To check the quality of water, we do regular quality control checks. Smart meters have also been installed in almost all the households for this purpose.”
He further adds, “We use different methods to measure the quality of clean water. We take water samples and send them for testing in the laboratory, where its quality is measured and is improved. Multiple water purification techniques for pure water are being used.”
IMPLEMENTATION
Mr. Verma stated, “Further, 400 water fountains will be installed for the tourists in the city. Also, water quality will be displayed in real time through LCD screens. Technology will be put to a great use, here.”
Similarly, ‘Jalsathis’ – women from self-help groups have been trained and employed for meter reading, revenue collection, testing water quality and making people aware about the work that is being done. Not only that, a mobile crew team has also been formed for redressal, which will immediately work on the complaints of water leakages and other issues.
This scheme will also preserve the environment, with ensuing reduction in usage of plastic water bottles and carbon footprint in the state.
FUTURE PLANS
Chief Minister of Odisha Mr. Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the scheme through video conferencing and appealed to people to not waste water in any form. Apart from Puri, the government will soon implement the scheme in 16 other cities in the state, with an aim to benefit over 40 lakh people.
