Aizawl: More than 95 per cent of the total rural inhabitants in the hilly state of Mizoram have been provided with adequate drinking water, according to public health engineering department sources.
Under the national drinking water programme (NRDWP), 741 villages of the total 777 villages in Mizoram are fully covered, which means each person gets above 40 litres of water every day (lpcd), the sources said, adding that the remaining 36 villages are partially-covered with each person getting above 10 lpcd, but below 40 lpcd of water.
Under this scheme, the department has provided rain water harvesting tanks to 26,884 families and constructed 1,875 handpumps and set up laboratory for testing purity of water.
The scheme was launched in Mizoram in 2009 as Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP), which was changed to NRDWP in 2010.
The department has set up State Water Resource Management Committee (SWRMC) which is working hand in hand with the Young Mizo Association to reclaim natural water sources.
However, so far as urban water supply is concerned, Mizoram is still miles away from achieving the national norms of water supply, that is 70 litres per capita per day.
Out of the 22 towns in Mizoram, ten towns have been brought under fully covered, seven towns under partially covered and three towns non-covered, according to the economic survey of Mizoram 2012-2013.
There are 19 water supply projects in Mizoram, including the much-awaited greater Aizawl water supply scheme (GAWSS) phase-II costing Rs 11347 lakh under DoNER and renovation of greater Aizawl water supply scheme (GAWSS) phase-I at the cost of Rs 1681.80 lakh under JNNURM (UIG).
With the greater Aizawl water supply scheme phase-II, which construction began in 1998 with an estimated cost of Rs 176.57 crore, yet to start functioning, residents of the state capital Aizawl are facing constant water crisis.
The scheme, designed to provide 24.1 million litres of water to the Aizawlites everyday, has been delayed due to the state government’s whimsically and unsystematic approach.
Interestingly, the water supply scheme had been officially inaugurated by then DoNER Minister Mani Shankar Aiyer in May, 2007.
The nearly three lakhs population of the city largely depends on the greater Aizawl water scheme phase-1, which was started in 1983 and aimed at supplying 10.8 million litres per day (mld) to a population of 80,000 at that time.
Under this scheme, completed in 1988, water is pumped from Tlawng river to a height of 1,045 m, making it the second highest water supply project after the one in Shimla.
Being a hilly terrain, natural water sources are a far cry for most families in Aizawl. Therefore, when their taps
run dry, many families have to buy water that costs Rs 1000-Rs 1400 per 4000 litres. (UNI)