Another Rs 2.81 crore was demanded for setting up water testing laboratories in each subdivision of the State, besides Rs 50 crore for implementation of National Rural Development Water Programme (NRDWP). Under the programme, only Rs 62.40 crore has been released so far, Choudhury said.
He pointed out that under the rural sanitation project, the State had demanded an additional Rs 86 crore and Dr Joshi had assured to take up the matter with the Planning Commission and Union Finance Ministry for getting the additional fund. Choudhury underlined that the State Government had planned to go for massive treatment project of Howrah river, the main water source of the State capital, to address the problem of scarcity of potable water during summer and pre-monsoon days.
The Tripura Government had engaged WAPCSO, a leading consultant of water issues in India, to chalk out the modalities for structuring community rainwater harvesting arrangement. As many as 50 pockets at the main source of rivers and natural waterfalls were identified to construct water reservoirs to catch rainwater.
WAPCSO has been working on finalisation of modalities of the structure and community participation in rainwater harvesting task for the past few months while a separate DPR was submitted to Brahmaputra Board for treatment of Howrah river bed, the main source of water in Agartala.
However, environment experts lashed out at the State Government for non-compliance of the Rain Water Harvesting strategy in the State even though Tripura has been blessed with about 80 per cent more rainfall in the past three years.