Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that five towns of Himachal Pradesh will have better sewerage facilities.
Since water is a significant natural resource for our country, it needs to be managed as efficiently as possible, he said, adding that his government has decided to improve drinking water and sanitation services in five towns – Manali, Bilaspur, Palampur, Nahan and Karsog.
He said that recently a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of Rs. 817.12 crore project has been signed by the State Government with the French Development Agency, Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) with an objective to develop better sewerage facilities in the above-mentioned towns of the state, besides improving drinking water supply in Manali and Palampur towns
“Rs 612 crore will be provided by AFD, whereas the State Government will provide Rs 204.85 crore under the project,” he said.
The beneficiaries of the project will receive house service connections in these five cities and the sewerage treatment plant will be designed with the cutting-edge technologies, so that the effluent could be reused for agricultural and industrial purposes, he said.
The Project aims to improve the environmental condition of water sources, reduce water-borne diseases, manage quality sanitation facilities in accordance with local regulations and international best practices and bring financial sustainability to the drinking water and sanitation sector, said the Chief Minister.
“Out of Rs 425.85 crore in the first phase, Rs 340 crore will be financed by AFD and in the second phase AFD will provide Rs 272 crore out of a total project cost of Rs 371 crore. The project will be implemented within three years. The Phase-II of this project will begin after 18 months from the commencement of Phase-I,” he said.
The project will go a long way in providing the best sanitation facilities and quality drinking water to the people of these towns of the state, said Sukhu.