Odisha Govt to Provide 24 hour Piped Water through ‘Drink From Tap Mission’

Bhubaneswar:  The Odisha Government today signed a Letter of Understanding (LoU) with UNICEF to provide 24-hour piped drinking water supply to the people under the – ‘Drink From Tap Mission’ project.

The agreement was inked between Housing and Urban Development Department and UNICEF in the presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the Lok Seva Bhawan here.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that his government has given utmost priority to provide quality drinking water to every household in the State.

In order to make Odisha a health society and a productive state, there is need to develop a solid foundation for supply of safe drinking water to the people, he said.

Provision of safe drinking water results in a drastic reduction of diarrhoea, infant mortality and under-5 mortality rates, for which the Government is spearheading several transformative initiatives to provide water to each household with a view to improving the lives of the people in urban areas, he further added.

Under the “Drink From Tap Mission” project, the beneficiaries will be provided 24-hour supply of piped drinking water. To determine the consumption of drinking water, a water meter will be installed in the house of each beneficiary.

For the implementation of this scheme, women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) will be engaged the trained.

The mission will be launched on a pilot basis in the five areas of Bhubaneswar and two areas of Puri. It will be completed by March 2020.

More than 1.20 people of 22,000 families of Bhubaneswar and Puri will benefit from this scheme.

The project will be implemented in the remaining parts of the state in subsequent phases.