First water train with 1.5 mn ltr reaches Pali in Rajasthan
Pali city gets water supply from Jawai dam, which has now dried up. Neeraj Mathur, additional chief engineer, PHED, said that the water train would be run till Jawai Dam gets sufficient rain water.
The first train carrying water to Pali was flagged off from Bhagat ki Kothi station in Jodhpur on Thursday.
The water train with 30 wagons reached Pali city at around 3.30 pm, said officials of the public health and engineering department (PHED).
The state government has sanctioned a contingency plan worth ₹13 crore for running a water train from July 24.
However, the water train was flagged off a day after the scheduled date.
Pali city gets water supply from Jawai dam, which has now dried up. Neeraj Mathur, additional chief engineer, PHED, said that the water train would be run till Jawai Dam gets sufficient rain water.
“We had demanded 50 wagons from the railways so that 10 million litres of water a day could be transported, but at present, we have been provided with 30 wagons.
“The first water train has transported 1.5 million litres of water. According to the wagon capacity, 3 million litres of water per day can be transported to Pali city,” he added.
He said the government has sanctioned the contingency plan for 47 days. The government will provide ₹10.50 crore to the railways for running a water train.
Earlier, a water train was run in 2009 and 2005.