With 71 labs, Himachal to set benchmark in safe drinking water, sanitation

The state government has set up 71 water testing laboratories and proposes to install sensor-based systems in 291 schemes across 10 districts to ensure safe drinking water for every household in Himachal Pradesh.

The government plans to set up one state-level and 14 district-level NABL-accredited water testing laboratories. Additionally, drinking water treatment plants would be established in Jawalamukhi, Jaswan, Pragpur and Dehra of Kangra district during the next financial year at a cost of Rs 43 crore.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu reiterated that during the last two-and-a-half years, the state government has taken major initiatives to ensure clean and “These initiatives are reinforcing the commitment of state government towards ensuring health and well-being of the citizens,” he said.

The state government will start the 'Mukhya Mantri Swachh Jal Shodhan Yojana' with an initial budget of Rs 80 crore received in the first phase. This initiative would deploy advanced technologies like ozonation (waste water treatment), UV filtration, RO and nano-filtration to purify water for both domestic and commercial use,” he said.

Similarly, under the 'Rural Drinking Water Up-gradation Project', a provision has been made to provide uninterrupted water supply to as many 20,663 households in rural areas. Funded by the NDB, the total project cost amounts to Rs 745 crore with state share of Rs 148 crore. Similarly, under the Rural Drinking Water, up-gradation and Livelihood Project of over Rs 1,062 crore was being invested to install 79,282 functional household tap connections (FHTCs) in 2,471 settlements across 10 districts.

To tackle the challenges of harsh weather conditions in cold regions, the government would initiate work on 20 water supply schemes in Lahaul-Spiti district at a cost of Rs 27 crore under the antifreeze and winter water supply schemes. Similarly, six schemes worth Rs 72 crore would be implemented in Kinnaur district. In addition, four water supply schemes in Nadaun, Bhoranj, Amlehad and Haroli, along with one sewerage scheme for Baddi, would be undertaken this year.

An amount of Rs 298.87 crore was being spent on water supply projects in 17 towns including Mandi, Theog, Chamba, Hamirpur, Dalhousie and Palampur. Work was in progress in 11 towns, while the remaining would be covered in the financial year 2025-26. Further, new water supply schemes in nine towns such as Bhuntar, Nahan, Jawali, Arki, Nirmand, Jogindernagar, Shahpur, Bhattiyat and Karsog would be set up at a cost of Rs 167 crore.