Expressing concern over the water quality in rural areas, Rural Development Minister Kanshiram Rana on Wednesday said a massive awareness programme on matters related to sanitation and water borne diseases was the need of the hour.
Holding a review meeting on rural drinking water and sanitation here, Rana emphasised the need for water conservation and rainwater harvesting measures to meet competing rural drinking water demands from various sectors.
Rana said such schemes would help in making water sources sustainable and save systems from becoming defunct. Besides, stored rainwater could be used to meet supplementary domestic requirement, he said.
In order to provide incentives to Panchayati Raj institutions, individuals and organisations for full sanitation coverage, a proposal for giving a 'Nirmal Gram Puraskar' was also on the anvil.
Secretary, Rural Drinking Water Supply, P Mohan Das, said that in the year 2003-04, Rs 111.75 crore had been earmarked for natural calamities out of which Rs 15.54 crore had been released to Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Rajasthan, an official release said here.
Das also said that out of the total number of 14.23 lakh rural habitations in the country, 13.10 lakh habitations had been fully covered with drinking water facility, the release said.
{{/usCountry}}Das also said that out of the total number of 14.23 lakh rural habitations in the country, 13.10 lakh habitations had been fully covered with drinking water facility, the release said.
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