Taking serious note of the complaints about frequent disruptions in rural water supply scheme, the panchayati raj department has resorted to the use of computer-based application to keep a tab on operation of motorised pumps across Bihar.
As part of the state’s mission to provide tap water supply to each and every household, the state government has assigned the department with the task of rolling out the scheme in over 58,000 wards of rural areas by the end of this fiscal under the chief minister’s flagship Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal project.
Additional chief secretary, panchayati raj department, Amrit Lal Meena said that all water towers would be equipped with specially designed device, internet of things (IOT), to calculate operation time of pumps and flow of water from the towers. “The device will be connected with a centralised computer network and operation status of each and every pumping station and water tower could be watched from the control room on realtime basis,” added Meena.
The IOT devices have already been installed in water towers in over 6,000 gram panchayats of Sheohar district on a pilot basis. “Now it will be installed in water towers of the remaining panchayats in the next two months. This will also allow the officials to monitor functioning of motorised pumps. The device will also detect wastage or excessive use of water by the people,” said Meena.
{{/usCountry}}The IOT devices have already been installed in water towers in over 6,000 gram panchayats of Sheohar district on a pilot basis. “Now it will be installed in water towers of the remaining panchayats in the next two months. This will also allow the officials to monitor functioning of motorised pumps. The device will also detect wastage or excessive use of water by the people,” said Meena.
{{/usCountry}}The department has already removed more than 50 mukhiyas from their posts and some of them have been barred from contesting elections in future after they were found guilty of not executing the project properly. The department allocates necessary funds to the gram panchayats for implementation of the tap water supply schemes in villages.
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Project leader of the department, Ashutosh, said so far, 55,874 wards out of the total 58,612, allocated to the department for setting up tap water supply schemes under the CM’s flagship programme, had been covered. “Work on about 2300 projects is going on, while 105 projects have been declared non-feasible,” he added.
The department has already facilitated the setting up of the ward management committees and allowed them to hire pump operators at the monthly remuneration of ₹3,000 (₹2000 from the committee and ₹1000 from user charges) for the timely operation of the installations. Besides, one technical assistant has been assigned to take care of the projects in four panchayats.