Telangana: Gram panchayats to take over Mission Bhagiratha village water supply

The government has also tasked the gram panchayats also with operations such as chlorination and cleaning of OHSRs, issue of new tap connections, and repairs to pipelines

Hyderabad: The State government has placed the operation and maintenance of the water supply system in the villages under the purview of gram panchayats. It has issued a GO directing the gram panchayats to maintain the intra-village water supply system from overhead service reservoir (OHSR) to household connection.

The government has also tasked the gram panchayats also with operations such as chlorination and cleaning of OHSRs, issue of new tap connections, and repairs to pipelines. Estimates for the works pertaining to maintenance being taken up by the gram panchayats will be prepared by the mandal intra-village AEE and AE of the Mission Bhagirtha and the Panchayats would execute them under the supervision of intra-village AEEs or AEs.

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The expenditure would be met from the funds of the Central Finance Commission, State Finance Commission or of the panchayats concerned. Gram panchayats, as per the order, will be the custodian of all water supply assets and they should maintain all the asset registers and network maps. Any damage caused to infrastructure of the Mission Bhagiratha due to miscreant action would be penalised by the gram panchayat as per policy.

The gram panchayats should take necessary steps to ensure water supply to every household and cleaning of OHSRs and service reservoirs once in every 10 days – on 1st, 11th and 21st day of every month. Engineer-in-Chief, Mission Bhagiratha shall coordinate the distribution of drinking water with and Commissioner or Director, Panchayati Raj and Rural Development.

Under the 15th finance commission guidelines, grants can be used for supply of drinking water services like augmentation of existing water sources, rain water harvesting structures, providing drinking water to institutions like schools, anganvadis, operation and maintenance of intra-village supply system.

The water supply system in the villages was entrusted to the gram panchayats as it was noticed that in many places the intra-village water supply was not properly maintained and water is not reaching up to the household level.