Raman asks for drinking water supply in summer

     Raipur, December 29, 2008: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh today directed the Public Health Engineering Department Minister Kedar Kashyap to draft a strategy well in advance to provide safe drinking water to the drought affected people during summer.

    Some of the areas of Chhattisgarh had experienced less rainfall this year and in those areas the PHED should take steps well in advance to provide safe drinking water, the Chief Minister told a review meeting of the PHE Department.

     PHE Minister Kedar Kashyap, Secretary Prafulla Chandra Dalai, IT Secretary Aman Singh and Chief Secretary P Joy Oommen were present in that review meeting.

     The Department had also been asked to maintain a proper ground water table through out the state and for that a proper water conservation mechanism be put in place.

     The Department informed the Chief Minister that the state had 1,91,662 working hand pumps.

      After a 2003 survey, the state has 72,775 habitats, and in 71,714 places drinking water facilities have already been provided, the officials said adding in Chhattisgarh in every 100 people there is a tube well where as the national average is one pump in every 250 population.