Water Supply Schemes In Kerala

By V. P. Narayanan Nayar,
CHIEF ENGINEER, PUBLIC HEALTH
ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT, TRIVANDRUM

With substantial assistance from L. I. C. 25 Municipal Water Supply Schemes covering 3 Corporations and 22 Municipalities spread throughout the State of Kerala were taken up commencing from the financial year 1970-71. Out of these 25, 13 schemes are spill over and 12 new. These spill over schemes particularly some of them like Trivandrum Augmentation as well as those of Cochin and Calicut were lingering for quite sometime due to insufficient budgetary allocations. Thanks to the assistance given by the L. I. C., these schemes could be speeded up since last year. As regards new schemes, the 12 begun are in respect of Municipalities which do not enjoy a protected water supply. The total outlay for works on these 25 schemes together, for completion by March 1973 is of the order of Rs. 17 crores, the estimated total amount being Rs. 23 crores-Rs. 6 crores were spent on the spill over schemes during the course of the last few years and Rs. 16 crores is the money required to complete all the schemes both old and new by March, 1973.

The pattern of assistance by the L. I. C. is loan of 2/3 of the cost of the Scheme, 1/3 being met by the State Government. During the course of 1970-71 the L. I. C. gave assistance to the tune of Rs. 253.40 lakhs and the State Government contributed 50% of the above. The full expenditure earmarked for 70-71 has been incurred mostly by way of procurement of pipes and other materials, land acquisition charges and a small portion on works as well.

During the current year, it is proposed to move for Rs. 450 lakhs loan for the above schemes according to the phased programme; but in addition to this by way of extension of municipal water supplies in nearby areas an additional Rs. 1.5 crores is also being applied for. In other words, the L. I. C. is being approached for a loan of Rs. 6 crores during the current year and

cipality has brought about a big awakening in the Urban population and this has in turn spread to the rural areas around. The demand for protected water supply in Panchayat areas began to be pressed harder and after series of deliberations with the L. I. C. and their promise to help in this also the Government have since constituted a Rural Development Board to sponsor the Rural Water Supply Schemes for purposes of loan assistance from the L. I. C. Such a Board has been constituted after suitable legislation and very soon the L. I. C. is being moved for necessary loan to undertake Rural Water Supply Schemes a large number of which are pending execution for want of funds.

With the simultaneous launching of water supply schemes the procurement of pipes also has become difficult in respect of Cast Iron, AC and other varieties. The Premo Pipes manufactured by a public sector undertaking of the Government of Kerala are also in short supply at the moment. A second unit of the Pipe factory is being established shortly and it is hoped there would be little difficulty in respect of

finding the required qualities of pipes, if not now atleast in the near future. As regards, Lead for joints of C. I. Pipes, this is being purchased in the open market at very high price. The availability of steel is becoming a severe handicap but it is felt the position will soon improve. As every organisation concerned is willingly helping the department in procuring what the department wants, the department is quite optimistic in achieving the targets.

For the various water supply schemes taken up in Municipalities they enjoy the Government guarantee and they are given a moratorium for 3 years both in respect of repayment of capital and interest charges. This however is not made applicable to Panchayats and they are being pressed to remit 1/80 of the cost of the schemes from year to year, until of cost is paid up. This of course is as per existing pattern of rural water supply schem.

It is hoped that in about 5 to 10 years from now if the present tempo is kept up the Kerala State would improve considerably in the matter of environmental sanitation, perhaps rank one in India.

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Water Supply & Sewerage Schemes In Meghalaya

Meghalaya was formed on 2nd April 1970 with the Garo Hills, Khasi and Jaintia Hills Districts of Assam into a separate State. Meghalaya has a population of 9,83,336 as per 1971 provisional census and an area of 22,500 Sq. KM. It has a long border with East Pakistan's Sylhet and Mymen-Singh Districts. There are about 4500 villages in Meghalaya.

Shillong

Shillong is the common Capital of Assam and Meghalaya and is the Headquarters of the North East Frontier Agency. It is jointly administered by Assam and Meghalaya Government. It is the nerve centre for the entire North East India. Shillong is situated in picturesque surroundings at an altitude of 5000 feet above MSL. Places of tourists attraction include the Shillong Peak, Ward Lake, Golf links, Barapani Dam and Reservoir, the Bara Bazar, Bishop falls, etc. The sparkling clear streams and the lakes around offer excellent facilities for fishing, picnic, sport and recreational facilities.

Water Supply Schemes in Meghalaya

The terrain of Meghalaya is mostly hilly and undulating. Tube wells and Ring wells are not generally successful except in the border areas with Pakistan/Assam Valley. Most of the water supplies are from clear springs, streams or from surface sources by pumping raw water and making the same potable after coagulation, sedimentation, filtration and chlorination.

A few shallow tubewells and ringwells sunk for refugee water supply schemes have proved successful in border areas and work on Deep tubewells in the bigger villages along the Garo Hills border area in an experimental stage.

Rural Water Supply

Greatest importance is attached to the 'rural water supply schemes in Meghalaya.

mountains, and care is taken to protect the catchment areas from being polluted and against felling of trees. A collection chamber and a filter consisting of coarse sand and gravel media is built near the springs and the purified water is drawn by gravity mains to the storage reservoirs located at the highest point of the different Zones from which water is distributed to various households and street taps in the village.

In periods of drought the yield of the springs was found to be less than the normal yield and during such periods the hours of supply is restricted. Spring waters are found to be very soft and corrosive to pipes, G. I, Alkathine, asbestos and cast iron pipes are used for conveying the water. The per capita cost for rural water supply schemes in Meghalaya varies between Rs. 100 to Rs. 200 per capita depending on the length of the gravity or pumping main

'for conveying water and the type of treatment provided for purifying the raw water. Since the inception of National Water Supply and Sanitation Scheme a total of 78 Rural water supply schemes have been completed in the Meghalaya area mostly in the form of piped water supply schemes with spring sources. Of these 55 are completed in the District of (U) Khasi and Jaintia hills and 23 in the Garo Hills district. During the year 1970-71, eight rural water supply scheme viz. (1) (1) Umsong (2) Thadrang (3) Thyllaw (4) Thang Sning (5) Lawshotun (6) Umkadow (7) Lamin (8) Lower Cherrapunjee at a cost of Rs. 12,06 lakhs have been completed in Meghalaya. These schemes benefit a population of 11,600 covering nine villages in the water scarcity areas of Meghalaya.

new

During the year 1971-72, it is proposed to take up survey work for 40 rural water supply schemes mainly in rural areas in order to acheive an acceerated target covering a population of 41,580, in Meghalaya.

Rural water supply schemes in Meghalaya mostly benifit backward and the tribal population living under difficult economic conditions and the schemes are financed by 100% Government grant with the Plan money.

After completion, the schemes are handed over to the village Durbar (Local Committee) who generally maintain the schemes in a satisfactory condition. In case the schemes are of a sophisticated nature with a rapid sand filter etc, technical officer from the P.H.E. Department will manage the scheme on behalf of the local committee. major break-down like breakdown of pumping plants and machinery will be attended by the department. The maintenance cost

Also

is met from the normal budget of the State Government.

Important Schemes

There are two important Rural water supply schemes viz. Mawlai water supply scheme which provides water supply to Mawlai, an important suburb of Shillong and to Tura, Headquarters of Garo Hills district at an estimated cost of Rs. 18 lakhs and Rs. 40 lakhs respectively. The population of Mawlai as per 1971 Census was 14253 and the scheme envisages to benefit a population of 20,000.

The salient futures of the Mawlai water supply scheme are :

(1) Construction of intake weir across Umshing stream.

(2) 0.75 MGD treatment plants consisting of inlet Chamber, flash mixture, flocculators, Sedimentation tanks, R.C.C. Rapid gravity filters, Chlorinators, clear water Reservoirs and storage Reservoirs, Pumping Sets, Pumping Mains and distribution system.

Tura Water Supply Scheme

The salient features of the Tura Water Supply Scheme are:

(1) Construction of an intake weir across the Rongkhan stream.

(2) Construction of 2 MGD Rapid gravity filters, flocculators, Sedimentation tanks, Chlorinators, Clear water Reservior.

(3) Service Reservoirs and distribution system. The present population of Tura is 15,362 and the scheme evisages to benefit a population of . 50,000 after 30 years.

Urban Water Supply Schemes

The main Urban Water Supply Schemes relate to those of greater Shillong water The greater supply scheme and Jowai. Shillong water supply is a combined scheme for water supply to the Shillong Municipal area and fourteen contiguous rural areas. The present population of Shillong and outlying areas is about 2,00,000 and the scheme is designed for an ultimate design population