5 Himachal towns to get better sewerage facilities: Sukhvinder Sukhu

Himachal Pradesh government has decided to improve drinking water and sanitation services in five towns of the state, said CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu

The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to improve drinking water and sanitation services in five towns of the state including Manali, Bilaspur, Palampur, Nahan and Karsog, said chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. He said that recently a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of ₹ 817.12-crore project has been signed by the state government with the French Development Agency, Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) with an objective to develop better sewerage facilities in the five towns of the state, besides improving drinking water supply in Manali and Palampur town.

He said that recently an MoU has been signed by the state government with the French Development Agency, Agence Francaise de Developpement (HT File Photo)

An amount of ₹-612-crore will be provided by AFD, whereas the state government will provide ₹204.85-crore under the project. The beneficiaries of the project will receive house service connections in these five cities and the sewerage treatment plant will be designed with cutting-edge technologies so that the effluent could be reused for agricultural and industrial purposes. The project aims to improve the environmental condition of water sources, reduce water-borne diseases, manage quality sanitation facilities in accordance with local regulations and international best practices and bring financial sustainability to the drinking water and sanitation sector, said the chief minister.

Out of ₹425.85-crore in the first phase, ₹340-crore will be financed by AFD and in the second phase AFD will provide ₹272-crore out of a total project cost of ₹371-crore. The project will be implemented within three years. The Phase II of this project will begin after 18 months from the commencement of Phase-I, he added.

The project will go a long way in providing the best sanitation facilities and quality drinking water to the people of these towns of the state. A sewerage system is critical for achieving the goals of good sanitation. While the provision of potable drinking water takes precedence, the importance of the sewerage system cannot be overlooked, as all the water used by the community has to flow back as sewage loaded with the wastes of community living, which, if not properly collected, treated, and disposed of, would create serious water pollution problems. Similarly, water is a significant natural resource for our country, and it should be managed as efficiently as possible.