Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], April 3 (ANI): In view of saving electricity expenditure on tubewells across the state, Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan has directed the department of drinking water and other related departments to work on the action plan to install solar energy systems by mapping the vacant places.

The Chief Secretary also directed that the groundwater level report be compulsorily obtained before installing tubewells and that the report be made available to the Drinking Water Corporation and Jal Sansthan of areas with critical drinking water.

Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan chaired the 12th High Powered Committee (HPC) meeting on Wednesday at the Secretariat, which was related to the World Bank-assisted Uttarakhand Water Supply Program (2018-2025) in peri-urban areas.

The Chief Secretary has given instructions to maintain the continuity of good practices under the World Bank-aided Uttarakhand Water Supply Program (2018-2025) in peri-urban areas. He has given instructions for 100 percent water quality, continuous water supply, maintaining energy efficiency level in pumping to save electricity, customer satisfaction, continuous improvement in complaint redressal mechanism.

In the meeting, the Chief Secretary approved the final variation in various schemes of Uttarakhand Payjal Nigam and Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan.

It was informed in the meeting that the World Bank-aided Uttarakhand Water Supply Program (2018-2025) project in peri-urban areas costing Rs 1,042 crore will end on June 30, 2025.

The World Bank's contribution to the project is Rs 834 crore, and the Uttarakhand government's contribution is Rs 208 crore. The program is covered in 22 cities and five districts of the state: Dehradun, Tehri, Haridwar, Nainital, and Udham Singh Nagar.

Under the project, the target is to ensure a water supply for 16 hours per day with a minimum 12-meter pressure and to benefit 4.35 lakh of the targeted population at 135 LPCD. The project provides for metering with a 100 percent volumetric tariff.

Officials of the drinking water department informed that 22 schemes have been completed under the project, and 1,08,755 new connections have been given. These new connections are 24 percent more than the target of the program.

The World Bank has expressed complete satisfaction with the implementation of the said project.

Secretary Drinking Water, Finance, Additional Secretaries and officers of the concerned departments were present in the meeting. (ANI)