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A project aimed at providing water supply to Mon and four neighbouring villages -- Leangnyu, Lampong Sheanghah, Phuktong and Tuime – through gravity flow water distribution system has been completed.
Minister of PHED, Jacob Zhimomi, officially inaugurated the project virtually on Wednesday.
Funded by Ministry of Development for North East Region (DoNER), the project costing INR 1535.69 lakh will benefit about 17,000 people in the region, it was informed.
Speaking during the programme, the minister lamented land owners obstructing and delaying projects when the state government wants to bring development projects or construct new buildings.
“If you want development you should be willing to give your land to the government,” said Zhimomi.
He pointed out that people sometimes complains that a water source is from their jurisdiction or that they are the owner of the area, thus affecting the progress of development projects. He added that the state government has many development plans in store and that political and economic justice would be given to all the districts across the state.
In the meantime, he lamented the state not having source of income and relying heavily on the central government. He said only 30% of the central fund for used for development projects across the state with 70% going towards payment of salary to government employees.
Zhimomi informed that under the Jal Jeevan Mission, the department is working towards providing water supply facility through pipe to every household or cluster programme in Mon village.
While stating that the public should also take responsibility in operating and maintaining the project, he said fee will be collected not for water but for the facility to enable the person in-charge maintain and repair the facility or pay electricity bill for the water supply.
Repangyangba Longkumer, Chief Engineer and HoD, PHED, updated that the project, which commenced in 2016, involves transmission of water from source to the main reservoir and imparting treatment before distributing it to the five villages through individual sub-mainlines.
The water source is from Talam River, diameter of mainline is 150 mm, mainline distance is 29.70 km and the discharge available is 9.9 lakh liters per day, informed Longkumer while adding that the water supply level is 96 LPCD at present.
The major civil work components include one diversion weir, slow sand filter, main reservoir (1, 75, 000 litre capacity GPS tank) and five sub-reservoirs (1, 45, 000 litre capacity GPS tank), he added.
Further, the engineer updated that WATSAN committees will execute management of water supply, but the PHED will provide technical support in case of major breakdowns. He added that the WATSAN committees are empowered to collect water user charges from the households which can be utilised for operation and maintenance.
He also asked the villages to make plans to conserve and preserve the water source.
Noke Wangnao, advisor of Social Welfare, Home Guards, Civil Defence SDRF, Nagaland, and Nokpen Wangnao, Chairman of Mon Village Council expressed gratitude to the government for successfully completing and inaugurating the project.