Nitish Kumar dedicates Ganga water supply scheme to people
After the inauguration, the chief minister said the project is developed keeping in view the requirements in the four towns of southern Bihar region for the next 50 years
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday dedicated the ambitious Ganga water supply scheme (GWSS) or the Ganga Jal Apoorti Yojana to the people at Rajgir.
Developed by Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd., the project is part of Bihar’s Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali initiative and is one of its kind drinking water project using flood water of the Ganga River.
After the inauguration, the chief minister said the project is developed keeping in view the requirements in the four towns of southern Bihar region for the next 50 years.
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Through the project, he said, 135 litre/person will be provided to every household in Rajgir.
“It should be enough. Seeing the impact of this project, I will also plan something for Patna which is situated on the banks of the Ganga. In a few months, Ganga water will also reach Nawada. All the four south Bihar towns will use Ganga water during the flood season and store it to tackle drinking water woes in the region,” added the chief minister.
Encouraging people to make use of the clean water supply, Nitish said the people can now avoid using borewells for drinking water as they will get Gangajal through their taps.
“You can drink and also take bath in Gangajal daily. It will also reach all the temples and Nalanda University. This project will also help in groundwater recharge for agriculture. I have done a lot for Rajgir and I am also planning to develop Jarasandh Memorial, adjacent to the Jarasandh ka Akhara,” he added.
Under the project, Sanjay Kumar Jha, water resources minister, said, “Floodwater will be lifted through pumps at Hathidah and transported through a 151-kilometre pipeline to three enormous reservoirs in Rajgir, Tetar, and Gaya.”
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Water from the reservoirs will travel to two Water Treatment Plants (WTP), where it is treated and transported to the “enlightenment” cities, said the minister, adding, “These three south Bihar cities of Rajgir, Gaya, and Bodh Gaya have been experiencing water shortages due to excessive groundwater extraction via borewells. It is a historic day for Bihar and Nitish Kumar has been involved with it right from conceptualisation to the implantation stage. The project is a testimony to his foresight and commitment to making people’s lives better.”
Hurling praises to the CM, deputy chief minister Tejaswhi Yadav said, “the GWSS was a testimony to the vision of Nitish Kumar, whose actions speak louder than words and achieve the improbable.”
By bringing Ganga water to the people, Nitish Kumar did what people could not even imagine, state finance minister Vijay Kunar Choudhary said.
On the occasion, Bollywood star Manoj Bajpayee also made a detailed presentation about the project, its execution and its impact through a documentary.
Built at a cost of ₹4,500 crore, the project will ensure drinking water to over 40-lakh population in the water-alarmed southern part of the state. The project, earlier known as the Ganga water lift project, was approved in December 2019.
