Solar pumps power water supply

BERHAMPUR: Drinking water supply to 48 villages, having less than 100 population, in Ganjam district will be made through solar pumps by 2014-end. While eight such projects have already been completed, others are under construction, official sources said.
The government has decided to implement such projects in 1,730 select villages in the state.
The water supply is being made by installing 1hp motor and a water tank with capacity of 5,000 litre, said executive engineer, rural water supply and sanitation (RWSS), Berhampur, Sitaram Panda.
Each project is being implemented through the state-owned Odisha Renewable Energy Development Agency (Oreda) and costs around Rs 4.50 lakh. The projects have been completed at four villages in Digapahandi block, three and one in Sheragada and Sanakhemundi blocks respectively.
The villages without power supply or facing problems of low voltage are benefitted through solar pump projects. The projects will come in handy at the time of prolonged power outage caused by natural disasters, said an RWSS engineer. The projects are also cost-effective, he said.
The government decided to implement such projects on an experimental basis after drinking water supply was disrupted post-Phailin last year.
The government is also planning to run higher capacity pump sets like 5hp ones in some villages after successfully implementation of low-capacity projects.
A 5hp solar pump set is experimentally installed at a village in Khurda district. The engineers are studying its functioning, said the executive engineer.