5-MEMBER COMMITTEE WOULD ANALYZE THE PROBLEM AND SUGGEST REMEDIAL MEASURES
Chandigarh July 01-In a bid to provide safe and quality drinking water to the rural population across the state, Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal has constituted an expert committee which would analyze the different problems in way of it and suggest remedial actions for them.
Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that the Mr. Badal cleared the file to this effect and appointed the Principal Secretary Science, Technology and Environment, Punjab Mr. Karan Avatar Singh as the Chairman of the committee whereas Secretary Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Mr. Sanjay Kumar has been appointed its Member Secretary. The spokesperson further said that besides both of them, Advisor and Head of Department of Science and Technology Government of India (GoI), Dr. Prasada Raju, Deputy Advisor Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation GoI, Mr. D Raj Shekahr and Chief Engineer (Central) Department of Water Supply and Sanitation, Punjab Mr. AK Sony would be the other members of this committee.
The spokesperson further said that the Chief Minister was concerned over the quality of water being supplied to the rural areas as it was noted that more than 1100 tube wells in the state from which the drinking water was being supplied have recorded excess of uranium in water which was beyond the prescribed limits of World Health Organization (WHO). In the same manner there were areas in the state where high TDS in drinking water have been detected whereas in some other water samples the presence of heavy metals in water has also been traced, added the spokesperson. The spokesperson said that apart from this, the Chief Minister was also alarmed over the fact that in large number of area where water supply was being given through Tube well or Canal based schemes, though the quality of water at the source was good but its got contaminated during the process of storage and distribution.
Keeping in view these facts, Mr Badal has constituted this expert committee which would analyze different problems faced by the state government in supplying potable drinking water to the people in rural areas and subsequently suggest the remedial actions for it along with the choice of technology and methods of intervention, added the spokesperson.
