Plans afoot for permanent solution to Shimla water woes: CM

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Thursday said the government is committed to finding out a permanent solution to the water crisis in Shimla.

He said a long-term project was being formulated that would cater to the drinking water needs of the city at least for five decades.

Thakur told reporters here that he recently met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi and submitted him a proposal for a drinking water project and it was on his request that the Prime Minister sent a team of the Central Water Commission to the state.

Besides, he also sought a funding of Rs 200 crore for augmentation of water supply from the Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri.

The Chief Minister said the government had set a target to supply extra 10 million litres per day (MLD) water to Shimla from Chaba within a year with an outlay of around Rs 80 crore.

He said a proposal for a water harvesting project involving Rs 4,700 crore had also been sent for approval of the government of India for Shimla town under which work would be done for augmentation of water resources to maintain the ground water level.

Thakur said the state government would also explore the possibilities to expedite work on lifting water to Shimla from Kol dam.

Planned by the British for a maximum population of 16,000, Shimla -- now with a population of nearly 200,000 -- requires 42 MLD water.

According to officials, the city is getting 30-32 MLD on an average every day and the residents are getting water once in three-four days.

--IANS

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