Most villages get potable water

Harpal Singh, Deputy Director of the HRD cell said that 200 villages, still uncovered by the potable drinking water facility, would be covered during the ninth five year plan. He said 75 per cent of diseases prevalent in the villages were due to lack of sanitation and potable water facility.

It was added that one crore people in Punjab had been provided with the potable drinking water facility, while 45 per cent of the population still remained without this facility.

Aim of the training programme was to orient the villagers towards personal hygiene, and the benefits of potable drinking water and sanitation facility in the villages.

Nearly, 300 residents from various villages of Jalandhar and Kapurthala districts attended the training programme.

The HRD cell has so far conducted six district-level camps.Sarpanches and panches from the villages, engineers, teachers and tubewell operators participated in today8217;s programme.

Pramod Kumar from the Technical Teachers Training Institute, Chandigarh, cautioned the people against drinking water from handpumps and wells. He said that the people should take drinking water from 400 deep tubewells dug by the public health department in the state.

The techniques of disinfecting the drinking water and maintenance of water supply lines were also taught on the occasion.