Maharashtra govt approves Rs 7,000 crore for water projects in scarcity hit areas

Mumbai, August 2: Sanitation and drinking water has been at a priority for most of the states. Ensuring proper sanitation facilities and also drinking water for the people affected by scarce water, the government is taking initiatives to overcome these issues.

Taking cognizance of the drinking facilities in the state, the Maharashtra government has approved over Rs 7,000 crore to complete the drinking water projects in scarcity-hit areas. The government has committed to provide water to all villages that are perennially dry.

Under the National Rural Drinking Water Scheme, the government has approved a proposal of Rs 7,952 crore for completing 6,624 water projects in 10,583 villages, he said. The jumbo proposal is aimed at the completion of works in Konkan, Nashik, Aurangabad, Amravati, Nagpur and Pune divisions.

Minister for Water Supply and Sanitation Babanrao Lonikar informed that nearly 6,500 projects have already been completed in the last four years by spending Rs 5,500 crore. During the last four years, the main emphasis was to complete the pending projects.

The water supply department ensured that funds were properly utilized and action was taken against district bodies misusing the money. Remarkably, the Marathwada region of Maharashtra is a perennially drought-hit area.

The region received only 86% of its average rainfall last year. The monsoon session of the state assembly in Nagpur saw a positive note as the Chief Minister addressed in providing sufficient water resources implying on the fact that the state has received around 96% of rainfall this year.