Assam will get a slice of the proposed $1 billion World Bank loan to improve piped water and sanitation in rural areas.
Official sources said the Union ministry of drinking water and sanitation has identified Assam as the only state from the Northeast, which will benefit from the six-year assistance.
The project information document published by the bank on Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project for Low-income States says the ministry has requested for $1 billion loan for Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh for improving piped water and sanitation. The project is likely to be approved by May next year.
Assam has been selected on the basis of having very low indicators for piped water and sanitation coverage. Only 6.8 per cent of households in the state have access to piped water and with regard to toilets, though 60 per cent houses have access to them, about half are not fit for use.
The project will promote decentralised service delivery in the target states with increased panchayati raj and community participation, improved financial sustainability and enhanced accountability at all levels.
Sanitation interventions will address household sanitation, covering personal hygiene and household toilets and community sanitation requirements including soak pits, drains and lane improvements for disposal of wastewater.
According to data presented by D.K. Das, chief engineer, public health engineering department, around 100 out of 219 blocks are affected by excess iron in groundwater and in 15 out of 63 blocks in five districts (Golaghat, Kamrup, Karbi Anglong, Karimganj and Nagaon) are fluoride-affected. The presence of arsenic has been detected in 76 out of 187 blocks in 18 districts.
The data also reveals that out of the 86,976 habitations in Assam, 22,653 are uncovered habitations as on April this year, which have not been provided with drinking water supply by the government.
On the other hand, the number of fully covered habitations is 49,093, in which the average supply of drinking water is equal or more than 40 litres per capita per day.
The number of quality-affected habitations is 15,230. These are households where water samples tested in laboratories show levels of chemical contamination higher than the permissible limits of the Bureau of Indian Standards.
The department has identified Jorhat for the World Bank project, as the iron content in groundwater is much beyond permissible limit in some places. Sources said in some areas of Jorhat and central Jorhat block, arsenic poisoning is beyond permissible limit and has led to water supply schemes being suspended.
Official sources said the Union ministry of drinking water and sanitation has identified Assam as the only state from the Northeast, which will benefit from the six-year assistance.
The project information document published by the bank on Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project for Low-income States says the ministry has requested for $1 billion loan for Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh for improving piped water and sanitation. The project is likely to be approved by May next year.
Assam has been selected on the basis of having very low indicators for piped water and sanitation coverage. Only 6.8 per cent of households in the state have access to piped water and with regard to toilets, though 60 per cent houses have access to them, about half are not fit for use.
The project will promote decentralised service delivery in the target states with increased panchayati raj and community participation, improved financial sustainability and enhanced accountability at all levels.
Sanitation interventions will address household sanitation, covering personal hygiene and household toilets and community sanitation requirements including soak pits, drains and lane improvements for disposal of wastewater.
According to data presented by D.K. Das, chief engineer, public health engineering department, around 100 out of 219 blocks are affected by excess iron in groundwater and in 15 out of 63 blocks in five districts (Golaghat, Kamrup, Karbi Anglong, Karimganj and Nagaon) are fluoride-affected. The presence of arsenic has been detected in 76 out of 187 blocks in 18 districts.
The data also reveals that out of the 86,976 habitations in Assam, 22,653 are uncovered habitations as on April this year, which have not been provided with drinking water supply by the government.
On the other hand, the number of fully covered habitations is 49,093, in which the average supply of drinking water is equal or more than 40 litres per capita per day.
The number of quality-affected habitations is 15,230. These are households where water samples tested in laboratories show levels of chemical contamination higher than the permissible limits of the Bureau of Indian Standards.
The department has identified Jorhat for the World Bank project, as the iron content in groundwater is much beyond permissible limit in some places. Sources said in some areas of Jorhat and central Jorhat block, arsenic poisoning is beyond permissible limit and has led to water supply schemes being suspended.
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