PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
The delay in receiving the budget for the permanent restoration of water supply schemes damaged during this year’s monsoon season has become a matter of concern for water services in the State. The secretary (Appraisal) at Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan, Maneesh Semwal provided detailed information on the matter, noting that the UJS assesses damage to water supply schemes across the State every year during the monsoon period, particularly from July to August. This damage is often attributed to landslides, cloud bursts and other monsoon-related factors. This year too, UJS has reported a significant number of damaged water supply schemes. Specifically, approximately 4,430 water supply schemes across the State were affected during the monsoon season this year.
Due to damage to the water supply schemes, budget appeals were promptly submitted to the authorities for permanent restoration. “A total of Rs 151.18 crore has been asked for the affected schemes. Of this amount, Rs 20 crore was initially received, but the remaining funds have yet to be disbursed,” he said.
Semwal further said that during the monsoon season, instead of making permanent repairs, temporary restoration was implemented for the affected supply schemes. “We are now looking forward to permanently restoring these schemes with the monsoon rain being over. However, there has been a delay in the allocation of the budget for the permanent restoration. So we are concerned. The temporary restoration is prone to deterioration, impacting water services,” he said.
“To address the ongoing need for water restoration, the recovery of affected supply schemes is crucial,” he said.
Semwal said that the Post- Disaster Need Assessment team from the Central government had recently reached out to them and they had discussed the budgetary requirements for restoring the disrupted water supply schemes. “But we have not yet received a response. We, however, hope that the authorities will allocate the necessary budget as soon as possible to help us plunge into the work without further delay,” he said.
