The Karnataka Government will install 1,000 water purification units in rural areas by the year-end.
Speaking to presspersons on the sidelines of a programme here on Monday, H.K. Patil, Karnataka Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, said that the aim of this programme is to provide clean drinking water in rural areas.
In some villages, water contains fluoride and arsenic. This causes health problems among villagers. The Government will set up water purification units in such villages to tide over the problem.
Tenders have been floated for the establishment of water purification units in villages, he said.
Stating that such initiatives have been successfully implemented in some parts of northern Karnataka, Patil said non-governmental organisations and gram panchayats came forward to set up such units in northern Karnataka.
The establishment of a unit with a new building may cost up to Rs 10 lakh. In case, the gram panchayats provide building for the establishment of water purification units, the cost may come down, he said.