About 98 percent drinking water system of rural areas of the State is based on ground water sources. In view of the continuous decline in ground water level for the last several years, the State Government has given priority to group water supply schemes based on surface water sources in the last one year for a permanent solution to the rural drinking water problem. “Har Ghar Nal se Jal” scheme has been implemented in the rural areas of the State. Now, people in rural areas do not have to fetch water from rivers, ponds, wells and baolis.
Priority has been given to small and remote villages in the new drinking water policy. The policy has been simplified for the implementation of tap-water schemes in these villages. New hand pumps will be installed in the habitats where drinking water is not available at the rate of 55 litres per person per day during the summer season.
The new drinking water policy has a provision for at least one Government drinking water source within a radius of 300 metres earlier drinking water source was provided within 500 metres of any settlement, Priority is being given to scheduled caste and scheduled tribe dominated villages for installation of hand pumps. Now, even small villages along with big villages facing drinking water crisis will be able to benefit from the implementation of the tap-water scheme in summer season.
The state government has prepared a draft of the “Right-to-Water” Act under the guidance of experts. This act will be passed and implemented in the upcoming budget session of the Legislative Assembly. With the implementation of this Act, Madhya Pradesh will become the first State in the country, where people will get the legal right to water.
A provision of Rs 1,000 crore has been made in the budget to implement this Act. This act is not a Government law but “a public law”. Water conservation and promotion works will be implemented as a big campaign by ensuring public participation. By this law, all the water sources, rivers, ponds and traditional water sources of the state will be protected and stabilized.
The legal right to water is the result of the determination of the State Government to provide water to every family according to its requirement.
A detailed work-plan of Rs 68,000 crore has been chalked out to supply water from tap to every house in rural areas. So far, water supply has been started through domestic tap connections to more than 11.5 crore population of 802 villages by completing 19 group water schemes. Work on 39 schemes costing Rs 6,672 crore is in progress, which will be completed in the next two years. This will provide drinking water to about 64 lakh population of 6,091 villages. To provide drinking water to one crore population of 14,510 villages of the state, DPR of 45 group water supply schemes of Rs 22,484 crore has been prepared.
