State chief minister Neiphiu Rio has asked the PHE department (PHED) to work on privatising and outsourcing water supply in the State so that all sectors – government, land/water source owner, private companies and department – could contribute in ensuring adequate water supply to citizens.
Speaking at the commissioning of water supply project for Kohima town by pumping from Zarü river on Friday, Rio cited the example of power department, which was suffering huge losses and adding to the State’s overall deficit due to non-payment of bills and power theft, etc.
He stressed, “We have to privatise power and water supply with a proper metering system so that no party loses and the overall supply improves.”
Acknowledging Mima and Kezoma villagers for giving water to Kohima town, Rio also lauded Southern Angamis since the catchment area is under them.
Mentioning that the project was conceived in 2004 to source water from Dzukou, he said the project however could not be implemented since the source owners and PHED could not come to an agreement, and the project was then shifted to Zarü river.
He admitted that the project took nine years to complete due to certain technicalities. But with the project now having been completed, he called for its maintenance and appealed to the villagers, power department, PHED, PWD and the consumers to cooperate to sustain it.
With the increase in population, the chief minister observed that town dwellers would eventually migrate to other places if there was no proper or enough water supply and Kohima would not be able to remain the State Capital.
As the town’s residents were struggling for water, he said they were carrying water from every possible source, which was often not pure and because of which they were exposed to various diseases.
Rio also cautioned that since construction of the two-lane road from Kohima to Mao was under progress, there was every possibility of the pipelines getting damaged. He therefore urged the departments concerned and the villagers to ensure that the pipelines were not damaged.
As the Dzukhu issue was settled and its water was the best source, he said loan should now be sought to start the project else, he warned that as the public demand for water was so high, the current project would not be sufficient to fulfil it. He said as per 2011 census, Kohima town had a population of over one lakh.
As water had become a precious commodity and was costly, he called for behavioural change while using water to ensure its adequate supply by learning to pay for it.
Mentioning that Nagas were exempted from paying many taxes, he however said they should learn to pay for what they use.
The chief minister said during his recent meeting with union minister for Roads, Transport and highways, Nitin Gadkari, the latter had expressed his dismay over the projects being delayed because of landownership issues and cautioned that new projects would be given only if the existing ones were completed.
Citing this, he said it was very difficult to implement any project in the State and stressed that Nagas must give land for development and called for cooperation.
In his brief address, PHED minister Jacob Zhimomi expressed joy on completion of the project despite various odds and lauded the villagers of Kezoma and Mima for their support and cooperation to the government.
He assured that the department would extend all possible assistance for proper supply of water in Kohima town.
PHED chief engineer Repangyangba Longkumer said the project was initiated in 2012 and completed in 2021, adding that augmentation of water supply at Zarü was constructed at a cost of Rs 43.73 crore under the funding patter of 90:10 – 90% being Central government’s support and remaining 10% the State’s.
Mentioning that the project was first conceived in 2004 to argument from Dzukhu river, he explained that owing to technical problem, this could not be implemented and later Zarü was identified for which a revised detailed project report was prepared and this was later approved by the Union ministry of urban development.
Longkumer claimed that the project had the capacity to pump 38 lakh litre of water in 18 hours if there was no fluctuation in power supply, adding that the project also had the highest pumping head in the State and Northeast.
He said water would be pumped to pressure break tank above Kigwema village to a reservoir at police headquarters in Kohima, about 32 km from Zarü river.
The water supply would be connected to the existing distribution system covering PR Hill, Chandmari, PWD and part of the main town serving about 3,000 households, he added.
He also narrated the challenges encountered while implementing the project like the monsoon season, damage of main pipe due to road construction, power transformer and starter problems, difficulty in laying distribution pipes due to lack of right of way, etc.
The chief engineer remarked that the success of the project depended on power supply, pointing out that maintenance cost too was needed.
He said source of funds should be explored for the new project to draw water from Dzukhu/Teupuiki river while also calling for complete overhaul of the existing water supply distribution system as the existing one was outdated.
Mima Village Council chairman Neichüzo Keyie and Kezoma Village Council chairman Puhovi Tase also delivered brief speeches on the occasion.