Patiala, Nov 2 More than 4.5 lakh people across 316 villages in Patiala are set to get clean canal water from two newly built water treatment plants (WTPs), with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann saying the Rs 432.65-crore project will serve as a lifeline for residents.
Mann on Monday dedicated the two state-of-the-art WTPs built in Ghanaour constituency of Patiala district to people.
The WTPs will provide a major boost to access to safe drinking water across the region, an official statement said.
The project will supply clean canal water daily to 316 villages across five Assembly constituencies, covering over 4.50 lakh residents through a 752-kilometre pipeline network, it said.
Besides addressing the groundwater crisis and tackling contamination, including fluoride, the project will provide a long-term solution to drinking water challenges, reaffirming the state government’s commitment to making clean drinking water accessible to every household, the statement said.
Addressing a gathering on the occasion, Mann said, “Today, dedicated two new water treatment plants built at a cost of Rs 432 crore to the people in Patiala. Now, 316 villages across five Assembly constituencies and 75,000 households will receive clean canal drinking water every day. This project will provide a permanent solution to the problem of contaminated water, including fluoride contamination, and will serve as a lifeline for residents. The health of Punjabis remains our top priority.”
Water treatment plants have been established at Mandoli and Pabri to treat canal water, and these plants have a combined capacity to treat 69 million litres of water every day, the chief minister said.
The Mandoli plant has been established at a cost of Rs 266.20 crore, while the Pabri plant has been set up at a cost of Rs 166.46 crore, he added.
Mann said it is unfortunate that even 80 years after Independence, people in these villages were still deprived of the basic necessity of clean drinking water.
“We have taken up this long-pending responsibility and ensured access to clean drinking water for thousands of families,” he said.
The Punjab government has undertaken major infrastructure initiatives to ensure safe drinking water, protect public health and address the growing groundwater crisis, he said.
The two WTPs are designed to meet the region’s drinking water requirements up to 2049, the statement said.
Punjab is extracting groundwater at 156.36 per cent of its natural recharge capacity, an unsustainable situation that highlights the urgent need to conserve underground water resources, it said.
The situation in Patiala is particularly concerning, with groundwater recharge standing at 1.01 billion cubic metres (BCM) against extraction of 1.89 BCM, while the extractable limit is only 0.9 BCM. This represents an exploitation level of approximately 208 per cent, meaning groundwater is being extracted at more than twice the rate at which nature can replenish it.
The state government has identified excessive concentrations of fluoride and heavy metals, including aluminium, lead, sulphate, arsenic and uranium, beyond permissible safety limits in 316 villages across Ghanaur, Rajpura, Sanour, Patiala Rural and Shambu Kalan.
The establishment of canal-based water treatment infrastructure addresses these water quality concerns and provides safer drinking water to local communities, the statement said.
(PTI News)
