Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Saturday laid the foundation of Rs. 100 cr Bulk Water Supply Project at Ballonggre, Tura.
The foundation for “Bulk Water Supply to Adjoining Rural Villages of Tura Town” project was laid in presence of Speaker Thomas Sangma, PHE Minister Marcuise Marak and Lok Sabha MP Agatha K. Sangma.
The project estimated close to Rs. 100 cr is funded by the Ministry of DoNER under North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS). On completion, it will provide water to about 41 villages under Rongram, Rerapara and Gambegre block of West and South West Garo Hills district. It will also increase the water supply to the urban area of Tura town.
In absence of the project, these villages were dependent on the Tura Urban Water Supply Scheme. The project will be a river pumping scheme from Ganol river. The scheme comprises pump houses, construction of reservoirs, treatment plant, water pumping, staff quarters, etc
The Chief Minister also launched MegARISE at Tura, a project with focus on the protection of vulnerable catchment areas in the State. He said, this project focuses on safeguarding the critical Umiew catchment in East Khasi Hills (EKH) district and the essential Ganol catchment in West Garo Hills (WGH) district. These catchments serve as lifelines for two of Meghalaya’s most densely populated cities, Shillong and Tura.
He informed that the State government has partnered with KfW (German Development Bank) to implement the project. The project will benefit 106 villages across 39 micro-watersheds within these catchment areas. The project will be implemented over a period of 7 years with total financial outlay of Rs. 344 crore and will be executed by Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA).