Haryana to set up mineral water plant

In the meeting, the board also approved Rs 1,313.84 crore for the improvement of drinking water facilities and sewerage in rural and urban areas. It was also informed that as of now, 23.73 lakh of about 30.73 lakh rural households in the state have been provided with a functional tap connection.

The Haryana government has decided to set a plant for the manufacturing of bottled mineral water, which will be initially made available to state-run institutions. The packaged mineral water will be made under the brand name 'Haryana Fresh' through the Public Health Engineering Department.

This decision was taken at the 53rd meeting of the Water Supply and Sewerage Board of the department under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday, an official statement said. Khattar directed the department to chalk out modalities for the setting up of this plant. Initially, bottled mineral water from the plant will be made available to government institutions, the statement said.

Later, mineral water reverse osmosis (RO) systems will be set up in educational institutions to provide clean and fresh drinking water to students. It was also decided to set up a comprehensive testing laboratory in all districts for checking the quality of drinking water and eatables. Khattar said providing clean and adequate drinking water to people is among the priorities of the state government. Directing the department to ensure that there is no shortage of drinking water in urban and rural areas, he sought a detailed plan for the supply in parts of the state.

It was informed in the meeting that the total outlay of the Public Health Engineering Department is Rs 3,676.10 crore. A sum of Rs 1563.34 crore has been earmarked during 2020-21 for the creation and augmentation of the water supply, sewerage and storm water drainage infrastructure.

Apart from this, Rs 405.26 crore has been earmarked for improvement in the drinking water supply and providing sewerage and storm water systems in urban areas. A sum of Rs 1,044.25 crore has been kept for improvement in the drinking water supply and providing sewerage in rural areas. In the meeting, the board also approved Rs 1,313.84 crore for the improvement of drinking water facilities and sewerage in rural and urban areas.

It was also informed that as of now, 23.73 lakh of about 30.73 lakh rural households in the state have been provided with a functional tap connection. Haryana is aiming at providing functional tap connections to all eligible rural households by 2022.