Odisha: A historical moment to celebrate. After 75 years of Independence of our country these remotest villages of Union Territory of Ladakh have got tap water for the first time. Two days back, when village Man-Merag in Ladakh got tap water celebrations broke out across the village. “Under Jal Jeevan Mission, water was supplied to Man-Merag village,” an official said. Adding that due to extreme weather conditions and rough terrain, it was a huge challenge to provide clean drinking water to every household through taps as water freezes in pipelines during winter and disrupts supply.”
It was like their dream has come true, he said. The village is located close to the Line of Actual Control. Despite challenging terrain and temperature as low as minus 12 degrees, work continued in Dipling village, at 4,000m above sea level with helicopters transporting HDPE pipes.
The UT official said after the revocation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, “many developmental projects were launched in the Union Territory of Ladakh and Jal Jeevan Mission was among one of them”. He said the objective was to provide clean drinking water in every last village of the region.
The Rs 362-crore-project was sanctioned in the year 2020 with an aim to provide clean drinking water through household tap connections to every household in 125 villages of the Union Territory by December 2022.
Setting an example of commitment and efficient working, Ladakh Administration even in minus 30 degrees Celsius, made regular water supply available to people, especially when the taps freeze in the winter season.
The mission was achieved through ‘Infiltration Gallery’ method initiated by the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in Ladakh, located at an altitude of about 3,000 meters above from the sea level. A larger portion of the population in the ‘Cold Desert’ remain affected due to regular water supply because of frozen water pipes.
