Two villages in Telangana will soon get access to safe drinking water with Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Project. A contract was signed in Chennai on Tuesday to provide financial assistance to set up the two water purification plants.

The grant contract for the project was signed between Seiji Baba, Consul General of Japan, Chennai, and Pushyamitra Sharma, managing trustee, Safe Water Network India, a non-profit organisation.

Elaborating on the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects, Mr. Baba said the Japanese government provided financial assistance to development projects being implemented by voluntary organisations and educational/medical institutes.

In Tamil Nadu too, a school for children in need is being constructed at Tirunelveli by Hebron Educational and Charitable Trust with financial assistance from the Japanese government.

The Consulate General of Japan, Chennai, which covers Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Puducherry, has supported various such projects since 1990. Nearly 31 lakh is being provided as agrant to set up two water purification plants at Podichenpalle and Shankarampet villages in Medak district, Telangana.

Mr. Sharma said the organisation was mainly involved in providing safe access to drinking water to people in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana. “We are focussing on creating clusters of treatment plants to ensure viability and supervision,” he said.

The initiative will benefit about 5,000 residents in each of these villages as the plant can treat 1,000 litres per hour. The groundwater in these areas has high fluoride content and salinity, said Anil Sondhi, vice president-technical operations, Safe Water Network.

*Original article online at http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/japanese-consulate-general-to-provide-aid-for-safe-drinking-water-in-telangana/article21996748.ece