Post News Network
Bhubaneswar: The Public Health Engineering Organisation (PHEO) has sought Rs 24.5 crore from the state government to improve the water supply system in urban local bodies (ULBs), ahead of the summer season.
Of this, Rs 15.0 crore will be utilised to improve the water supply network in 24 ULBs, which usually suffer from water scarcity in summer, according to a proposal submitted to the housing and urban development department by the engineer-in-chief of public health.
PHEO also sought Rs 9.36 crore to replace the very old water supply networks in 71 civic bodies under 14 PH divisions. The fund will be utilised in the current financial year (2015-16), sources said.
The organisation has proposed projects worth Rs 1.95 crore to improve the water supply network in Berhampur town, as well as Rs 3.67 crore for Angul town and `1.36 crore for Padampur town. Among other towns, a Rs 2.4 crore plan has been chalked out for Patnagarh and Rs 1crore for Rayagada city.
Jaundice had broken out in December 2014 in few places in the state, including Sambalpur, Bolangir, Cuttack and Puri and all in the cases the disease was caused by the consumption of contaminated water. Waste water is said to have seeped through the pipes and contaminated the water meant for drinking, particularly as the pipelines through which water is supplied to households are lying adjacent to the drains at many places.
The state government has thus decided to replace age-old water supply connections in all towns and work in this regard is going on in a phased manner, sources said.
