20,000 solar pumps to provide drinking water to remote parts of India

NEW DELHI: The drinking water and sanitation ministry has set a target of installing 20,000 solar power-based pumping systems in tribal and inaccessible hamlets/ habitation during this financial year to provide potable piped water to the locals.

In such areas, piped drinking water is almost impossible due to non-availability of electricity. As per the plan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Rajasthan would get 2,000 pumping systems each. Other states that have been identified for 1,500 such pumps are Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh while Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Telangana would get 1,000 pumps each.

The central government has implemented similar innovative scheme in Integrated Action Plan (IAP) districts during last financial year in which a single phase, one horse power, solar energy-based submersible pump was installed in a high yield borewell, which already is a hand pump. In such cases, water pumped from the system can be stored in an elevated tank and the water can reach every household through pipes.

Such schemes can meet requirement of about 250 persons – population of a small village. Each such system costs about Rs 4.9 lakh; excluding the borewell and cost of water treatment.

The drinking water and sanitation ministry had earlier proposed to the new and renewable energy ministry for partial funding of this project.

Now the drinking water ministry has asked all the states to identify habitations and submit consolidated project report for approval. The renewable energy ministry has now agreed to put their state renewable energy development agencies as a technical support organization to the state water supply agencies to identify the hamlets, prepare the schemes and help in implementation.

Rural development and drinking water minister Nitin Gadkari had earlier announced the plan to provide more solar-based pumps to bring all areas under piped water supply scheme of government.