The Times of India 19.11.2010
Small towns of Dharwad dist too to get 24x7 water supply
HUBLI: If everything goes according to the district administration's plan, then the 24x7 water supply facility, which is being made available in about eight wards of Hubli-Dharwad, will find its way into the remaining three taluk headquarters of the district, in a year.
If it happens, the Dharwad district will be first in the state __ perhaps even in the country __ to have all its taluk headquarters covered with 24x7 water-supply facility, albeit partially. This will cover about 40% of Navalgund, Kundagol and Kalghatagi towns. At present, only parts of Belgaum, Gulbarga and Hubli-Dharwad are getting 24x7 water supply.
The idea complies with chief minister B S Yeddyurappa's budget speech, wherein he had said steps would be taken to extend the round-the-clock water supply to even small towns.
Speaking to `The Times of India', DC Darpan Jain said old parts of the towns and those fully inhibited will get the distinct service. Jain said the district administration is ready with sufficient bulk water and secondary storage system for the purpose. "We are now working on the distribution network in these places," he added.
The DC said a new reservoir with sufficient capacity in Navalgund, sufficient bulk water in Kalghatagi and new water tanks in Kundgol are in place. Old pipelines have given way to sturdy and leak-proof high-density polythene (HDP) pipes in most of the areas where the project will be implemented while the work in the remaining parts is underway. Networking of households, which hitherto had no water connection, is also on.
The project would roughly cost Rs 8 crore with each town requiring Rs 2.5-3 crore, of which the funds will be drawn from the chief minister's grant.
Jain, probably the first DC in the state to work towards providing improved water supply facility to even town municipalities, said it would go a long way in bettering the quality of people in small towns.
"It is disheartening to see people wait for 2-3 days for water. The improved water supply services will bring down the consumption, besides avoiding water contamination because of continuous water supply and pressurized system," the DC said, hoping to see development in these places once the basic need is met.
