A World Bank-funded project to make potable water available in the villages of ten districts in eastern UP, including Allahabad, was launched at Chanaini village in Karchana tehsil on Saturday.T
he ‘Rural Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Project’ also aims to incorporate maintaining hygiene and cleanliness in the villages by building toilets and launching waste management schemes. Uttar Pradesh had been chosen as it falls under the low income states (LIS) along with Assam, Bihar and Jharkhand, where the project was being launched with the help of World Bank.
Talking to newspersons, World Bank representative Alina said the project is expected to improve access of piped drinking water supplied into individual homes.
“Women and children will benefit significantly from the project as they bear most of the burden of securing daily water supplies. The project will entail round-the-clock water supply provision in selected areas and use of technologies such as solar energy.”
She added there should be an intensive capacity building programme for all stakeholders, including gram panchayats, with a focus on monitoring of water quality and grievance redressal in case of supply of unhygienic supply.
The project will incorporate household connections, meters for bulk water supplies and promotion of household meters, among others, she added.
The Central government would bear 33 per cent of the total cost of Rs 2,035 crores, the state government’s share would be 16 per cent, beneficiary contribution would be one per cent and World Bank’s would provide 50 per cent of funds.
The other districts who would be benefited by the project included Gonda, Basti, Bahraich, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Deoria, Balia, Ghazipur and Sonbhadra. The 10 districts have a rural population of 28 lakhs.
Minister of state for rural development (independent) Arvind Kumar Singh ‘Gope’, principal secretary (rural development) Arun Kumar Singhal also threw light on the project. The district officials were also present.
