DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Haryana Irrigation and Water Resources Minister, Smt. Shruti Choudhry said that providing canal water to farmers' fields is her top priority. In addition, she is committed to making every effort to ensure drinking water is available to every household.

An agreement has been signed with WAPCOS, an undertaking of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, for the Gurgaon Water Supply Channel and Mewat Feeder Pipeline Project to supply drinking water to the Gurugram, Bahadurgarh, and Mewat areas.

The Minister said this during a meeting with Chief Engineer Mr. Virendra Kumar and other officials of the Irrigation and Water Resources Department yesterday evening regarding the WAPCOS projects.

In a presentation by WAPCOS, the Minister was informed that the organization provides technical assistance and advisory services in tender management for water resources, power, and infrastructure development projects across many African and European countries. WAPCOS is also involved in projects in Telangana.

Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) have already been signed with the Haryana Irrigation and Water Resources Department for the Gurgaon Water Supply Channel and Mewat Feeder Pipeline Project. The estimated cost of the Gurgaon Water Supply Channel Project is Rs. 1,989.40 crore, and it will require 686.40 cusecs of water to meet the expected demand for drinking water by 2050.

Similarly, the Mewat Feeder Pipeline Project is expected to cost Rs. 386.05 crore. Both projects are scheduled to be completed by WAPCOS by 2027. The Public Health Engineering Department, Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation, and Haryana Urban Development Authority are the key stakeholders in these projects.

The Minister has instructed officials to visit Telangana to study the Telangana model. She herself also plans to visit Telangana to observe the model firsthand.

(editor@dailyworld.in)