Water harvesting structure to be built in each Jal Shakti subdivision: HP CM

A cleanliness drive for all sources of water will be launched from October 2 to 31, says Jai Ram Thakur

Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on Monday said at least one water harvesting structure will be constructed in each subdivision of the Jal Shakti department during the golden jubilee year of Himachal Pradesh’s statehood.

The CM also remembered late Mandi MP Ramswroop Sharma and said people of the district would miss him as he had always taken up the developmental demands and aspirations of the people of the area during his tenure. (Birbal Sharma/HT)

He was presiding over a state-level World Water Day function at Kuthah near Janjehli in Seraj assembly segment of Mandi district. “The state government has taken the decision as per the Prime Minister’s call to ensure water conservation and rainwater harvesting in the state,” Thakur said, adding a special campaign will be launched in the first fortnight of June to check the quality of water, under which water samples will be collected in villages, schools and anganwadi centres for lab tests.

A cleanliness drive for all sources of water will be launched from October 2 to 31, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. “ The objective of these programmes is to make ‘water quality and conservation’ campaign a mass movement,” the CM said.

“The year 2021 is being celebrated as the golden jubilee year of statehood and different events on ‘water quality and conservation’ will be held till January 24, 2022 by the state’s Jal Shakti department, the CM said, adding that special gram sabhas will be held in all 3,615 panchayats of the state, in which a village action plan will be approved, and a village water and sanitation committee constituted.

“When my government took over the reins three years ago, the state capital was facing a major water crisis. It was then that the state government decided to launch a ₹ 80-crore water supply scheme for Shimla that was completed within a year,” he said.

The CM also remembered late Mandi MP Ramswroop Sharma and said people of the district would miss him as he had always taken up the developmental demands and aspirations of the people of the area during his tenure.

App for paying water bills launched

He also launched the ‘HP Water Bills Mobile App’, which will enable citizens to pay their water bill through their mobile. The app has been developed by the state’s National Informatics Centre and will facilitate 13.5 lakh consumers. The App will become functional from May 1.

He also administered a ‘jal sapath’ on the occasion and interacted with the representatives of a few panchayats and consumers through videoconferencing and discussed the issue of water conservation. He also distributed water testing kits to women representatives of different panchayats.

Thakur also launched ‘Seraji Tea’, an initiative by a local NGO. Later, the CM inaugurated the office building of PWD executive engineer, Seraj, at Janjehli and the science block of a Government Senior Secondary School Janjehli.

Jal Shakti minister Mahender Singh Thakur said it was the duty of every citizen to conserve water and ensure rainwater harvesting.