RDPR nod for Rs 201 crore Jal Jeevan Mission project in 3 constituencies in DK

MANGALURU: A Rs 201 crore investment is all set to give rural drinking water needs in three assembly constituency limits in Dakshina Kannada district a big boost.
The constituencies are – Mangaluru City North, Mulki-Moodbidri and Bantwal represented by Dr Y Bharat Shetty, Umanath A Kotian and Rajesh Naik respectively. The project has been initiated under Jal Jeevan Mission of the department of drinking water and sanitation.
L K Atheeq, principal secretary, RDPR (right) explains about Jal Jeevan Mission to MLAs from DK at a meeting that K S Eshwarappa, RDPR minister chaired in Bengaluru.
Announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address on August 15, the chief objective of the mission is to provide piped water supply to all rural and urban households by 2024 under the theme Har Ghar Jal (Water to every household). Union ministry of Jal Shakti is the nodal ministry that is tasked with implementing this project on which the union and state governments will spend Rs 3.50-lakh crore.
K S Eshwarappa, minister for rural development and panchayat raj who chaired a meeting of officials and the MLAs in Bengaluru recently directed officials concerned to prepare detailed project report under the mission to cover 13 gram panchayats under Mangaluru City North and select villages in Mulki-Moodbidri and Bantwal constituencies. The project entails tapping into water stored in vented dams on the Gurupur and Nethravathi rivers.
Dr Bharath Shetty said the 13 gram panchayat areas in his constituency face issues of regular water supply either through bore wells or piped water supply. This issue can be tackled using Jal Jeevan Mission on lines with an approach adopted for multi-village drinking water scheme. Under the scheme, water was supplied through pipelines from vented dams across rivers and required funds for water purification units, pipelines, pumps, he said.
L K Atheeq, principal secretary, RDPR told TOI that the meeting accorded in principle approval to the requests of the MLAs to meet the drinking water needs of their areas. “The JJM aims to provide assured and sustainable 55 litres per capacity per day (LPCD) water supply to the doorsteps of users,” he said. There is no provision to construct separate barrages under JJM, but we can tap into any available perennial source of water, he noted.
The executive engineer, panchayat raj engineering division, DK district has been directed to conduct survey investigation and prepare the DPR. The meeting has also given in principle approval to carry out a feasibility study for similar drinking water projects under JJM from remaining rural assembly constituencies in the districts. This would entail an expenditure of around Rs 800 crore and will be taken up based on water source, he said.