Water project in Jharkhand to start by June, says World Bank

Clearing the cloud of uncertainty over the ₹237-crore Bagbera-Chhota Govindpur Water Supply Project ,a World Bank (WB) team of experts expressed its pleasure over the project’s progress said that water supply from the project is likely to begin by June this year. The five-member team, headed by WB practice manager Michael Honey also inspected the progress of the Chhota Govindpur part of the project on Sunday.

“The WB team was happy with the way the Bagbera-Chhota Govindpur Water Project is progressing. They told me that they expected water supply for about 2 lakh people to start from the project by June this year. Since the project completion date is 2020, the WB team also offered us to help in developing and building solid and liquid waste management system in the area,” said Amit Kumar, East Singhbhum deputy commissioner (DC).

The WB-funded project aims to provided piped clean drinking water to 46,000 families or over to a population of 2.50 lakh people in 38 panchayat areas (17 panchayats in Bagbera and 21 panchayats in Govindpur), on the fringes of Jamshedpur.

The WB team also had M Kulvampa, SR Harry, Kamalesh Prasad and Parimal on board. The team visited the water treatment plant (WTP) near Giddi Jhopri under Ranidih panchayat, which falls under the Bagbera part of the project, on Saturday evening before meeting the DC.

“We are trying to start water supply from the project by June this year but there could be a delay of two-three months owing to some technical problems. But we assure that the project will materialise on ground as crores have been spent on it and huge number of people want this project, which will solve their perennial problem of clean drinking water,” Michael Honey told a meeting of Zila Parshad members, panchayat mukhiyas and gram swachhata samiiti members of the area.

Work was on in full swing for the 37 MLD WTP in the Bagbera part that has five water towers. A WB independent team inspected and talked to few tribal families led by Giddi Jhopri village head Sukhram Kisku on December 16 and 17 last year over their complaint that the WTP was being built on their worshipping site and without the gram sabha’s approval.

As per Drinking water and sanitation department (DWSD) executive engineer Shishir Soren’s report to the DC, 16, 279 families have already applied for water connection in the Govindpur part of the project, which has a target of catering 135 litres of water per person per day to 25,000 families. The Bagbera part of the project aims to provide piped drinking water to 21,000 families.

Bagbera Mahanagar Vikas Samiti president Subodh Jha said chief minister (CM) Raghubar Das would inaugurate the project in June and WB team has directed the construction agencies to complete the project by April.

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World Bank funded Bagbera-Chhota Govindpur Water Project

· Total cost: ₹237 crore

· Fund spent: ₹160 crore

· Target consumers: 2.50 lakh people in 38 panchayats

· Aim: 135 litre piped drinking water per person per day

Govindpur part of the project

· Trial run of 46 MLD WTP successful

· Trial run of 4 of the 5 water towers successful

· 16, 279 applications received for water connection

· Target consumers: 25, 000 families in 21 panchayats

Bagbera part of the project

· Construction on of 37 MLD WTP

· It also has 5 water towers

· Target consumers: 21, 000 families in 17 panchayats

· WB team orders speedy completion of WTP & water tower

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