By Kartik Lokhande
How
to realise the vision of providing drinking water to all? This was the
big question before the State Government considering the fact that there
was no accurate data available with it regarding the drinking water
sources. Against this backdrop, now, Water Supply and Sanitation
Department (WSSD) has asked Maharashtra Remote Sensing Applications
Centre (MRSAC) to prepare base data and detailed maps in this regard.
WSSD,
on Wednesday, informed all the Divisional Commissioners, District
Collectors, and Chief Executive Officers of all Zilla Parishads in the
State regarding this decision. As per the decision, MRSAC has been asked
to prepare maps of public sources of drinking water supply through
Global Positioning System (GPS). Further, it has been asked to develop a
mobile phone application (Mobile App), web-based Geographical
Information System (GIS) etc. These will pave way for effective
implementation of Water Quality Monitoring and Survey Programme.
Dr
Subrata Das, Director, MRSAC, told ‘The Hitavada’ that the developments
would pave way for implementing the Government’s commitment and vision
of providing drinking water to all. “Under the project, MRSAC will be
conducting collection and compilation of detailed data relating to
source of drinking water supply, habitation that requires drinking
water, distance between the source and the habitation, how will water
reach the location of requirement etc. Detailed mapping will be done to
prepare accurate data, which will be treated as base data,” he said.
Once
the data is collected and compiled, it will be available on a separate
website for people, Dr Das said. Then, the people will be able to locate
drinking water source, availability of water, quality of water
available etc. It will help in reducing administrative and maintenance
issues. There will be periodic monitoring of source water for its
quality, though the period of monitoring is yet to be finalised, he
added.
WSSD has given its nod to signing of a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) between Nagpur-based MRSAC and Belapur-based Water
and Sanitation Institute. The project involves zeroing in on drinking
water sources in 34 districts, excluding Mumbai and Mumbai suburbs,
collecting samples and assessing quality of water at the source.
The
project also involved maintenance of works done at the source for two
years. “As maintenance and repairs cannot be done through available
manpower, these works will have to be outsourced to private firms. For
the purpose, company will be finalised after following tenders. Director
of Water and Sanitation Institute, Belapur, will be the authority for
implementing tender process,” states a communication issued by
Nandkishor Garud, Deputy Secretary, WSSD.
For the tasks cut out for
MRSAC, WSSD will pay to it an amount of Rs 49.18 lakh. Of this, half of
the amount -- Rs 24.90 lakh -- has been released and remaining will be
released in a phased manner.
(Filed on March 4, 2015)
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