Tap water for all in Bundelkhand by December: UP CM

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said that tap water would be available in every household in Bundelkhand by December this year.

"The Namami Gange project has restored cleanliness and the unobstructed, continuous flow of water in the Ganga. Work to provide tap water connections in the dry and arid areas of the Vindhyas and Bundelkhand is taking place on a war footing under the 'Har Ghar Nal Yojana' and the exercise will be completed in December this year," he added.

According to the government spokesman, there has been a marked improvement in the quality of the Ganga water, mainly due to the Namami Gange project.

The Chief Minister said that the most critical point of the river in Kanpur, the Sisamau sewer line, have been converted into a selfie point while in Varanasi, where the water was not even fit for consumption, Gangetic dolphins who had left the area due to pollution in the river, have finally returned.

He also claimed that more than 60 rivers had been revived in the state in the past few years.

He added that Uttar Pradesh had adequate water resources and availability of water and areas like Vindhyas and Bundelkhand, which were considered to be water scarce and where rainwater harvesting was barely implemented, had now changed over the past few years.

The Chief Minister said that water conservation was a primary concern of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and "the outcome of his resolve was visible for everyone".

Claiming that more than 60 rivers had been revived in the state over the past few years, Adityanath added that a large area of the state is covered by rivers originating from the Himalayas which carry silt with them, due to which many were on the verge of extinction.

"We revived them and gave them a new life. So far, more than 60 rivers have been revived in the state. The Kumbh in Prayagraj took place on the banks of the Ganga, where devotees and seers realised for the first time after decades that the water was fit for consumption."

He also spoke about the Amrit Sarovar project, saying that efforts were being made at different levels for water conservation.

"Pure drinking water is the biggest need to save lives today. Keeping this in mind, we have started the Amrit Sarovar project and so far, work has been completed in 58 gram panchayats and the remaining are being completed on a war footing," he said.