Rural Punjab set for better water supply

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 14

Around 20 lakh rural households in Punjab can now hope for a marked improvement in drinking water supply, thanks to a major cut in tariff for the power supplied to run rural water supply schemes.

Applicable from June 1, the reduction in power rates will translate into a saving of 12 to 25 per cent for various rural water supply schemes, depending on the capacity of the pumping machinery.

“It will result in annual savings of Rs 35 crore to Rs 40 crore for all such water supply schemes put together,” said a government functionary.

Of the 8,300 rural water supply schemes in the state, 4,300 are run by various gram panchayat water supply and sanitation committees (GPWSCs), while the remaining are managed by the Department of Water Supply and Sanitation (DWSS).

In the past, non-payment of power bills by the authorities running rural water supply schemes often forced the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to serve disconnection notices, who would then seek the Chief Minister’s intervention to save the situation.

A senior government functionary said since 60 per cent of the revenue collected from water consumers goes towards clearing power bills of water supply schemes, the tariff cut would mean more funds for augmentation of rural water supply.

Around Rs 180 crore goes into paying electricity bills for running rural water supply schemes annually. As the department and gram panchayats concerned are not able to clear the power bills fully, the government annually allocates Rs 100 crore to the department to meet its running expenses.

“Following intervention by the CM, rural water supply schemes have been moved from the industrial category to the compost and solid-waste management plants category,” said Razia Sultana, Cabinet Minister, who holds the charge of Water Supply and Sanitation.