GUWAHATI: On the second day of the First All India Annual State Ministers' Conference on Water which was held in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh under the Union Ministry of Jal Sakti, Assam PHED Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah addressed the gathering on the topic of "Climate Change Resilient Water Infrastructure".
In his speech, the Minister described the government's efforts to provide clean drinking water to all the people of the state under the Jal Jeevan Mission in Assam. In 2019, only 2 per cent of the population was connected to tap water but the figure has now increased to 41 per cent with the exclusive cooperation of the Central Government and sincere efforts of the State Government under the guidance of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Minister Baruah mentioned that the department has undertaken rainwater harvesting projects for proper use of this water in Assam where rainfall is high and the government is committed to providing 100 per cent tapped drinking water to the citizens by 2024.
The Minister also stated the need to provide tapped clean drinking water in 14 districts of Assam due to arsenic-contaminated water. The Minister informed that the successful implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission schemes in Assam requires the cooperation of self-help groups, students and the general public.
Before attending the conference, Ministers Pijush Hazarika and Jayanta Mullabaruah, along with Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and other state ministers, participated in a tree planting programme at Shyamla Hills in Bhopal at the invitation of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The two ministers later visited the premises of a tribal museum in Bhopal and expressed their pride in front of the gateway, which is magnificent with the cultural heritage of Assam, a press release said.
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