Union Minister for Rural Developement calls for rooftop RWH

http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=34514 Union Minister for Rural Development Dr. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh has called for promoting Roof top Water Harvesting (RWH) in rural areas of the country. In a letter addressed to all Chief Ministers of States the Minister said that his Ministry propose to introduce and promote individual roof top RWH structures in all rural households similar to individual household toilets and will provide all necessary technical and financial support for the same. We must bring sustainability to our Drinking Water Supply programme and this can be achieved in quantitative and qualitative terms by reducing/eliminating dependence on depleting ground water or poor quality ground water and increasing the Availability and Quality of water through Surface Water, Rain Water Harvesting, Roof Top Collection of Rain Water, Dr. Singh added. This will be to ensure RWH for rooftop collection and storage of drinking water, both for individual and community purposes, becomes a part of all new Drinking Water Supply projects along with in situ recharge of all existing drinking water sources and borewells, The Minister has further instructed the ministry officials to also ensure that not less than 2-3 ponds/surface water collection systems are developed in each habitation under the NREGA programme. These may be rejuvenation of existing ponds/lakes or even construction of new ones. He also stressed on the need to integrate Water Conservation and structures augmenting Drinking Water Supply under NREGA with the drinking water supply system in each and every habitation. He said hydro-geological maps have also been supplied to some States for facilitating construction of recharge structures and it will be towards Governments commitment to cover all habitations with safe drinking water by 2009 under the Bharat Nirman Programme by successfully addressing the challenge of "slipped back habitations"and ensuring that this phenomena does not recur again, calls for serious changes in strategies so far adopted. Referring to the Dilution and Improvement of Ground Water by Recharge methods Dr. Singh said a Decentralized; appropriate Purification and Treatment systems at Panchayat/habitation levels can ensure potability of the water at the consumption point. He has expressed the hope that States active cooperation of in this regard will lead in bringing sustainability to rural drinking water and sanitation and ensuring that potable water is within the reach of every citizen in the villages.