G.O.(Ms.) No.189, Construction of Individual and Community Soak Pits under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, 2020

What the document governs

Government Order (Ms.) Number 189 of the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department concerns management of household waste water and grey water in rural areas. It approves soak pits as individual household works and as community works near facilities such as public fountains, hand pumps and overhead tanks.

The document deals with rural sanitation works, funding and implementation. It does not state that it changes land ownership, registration, patta or other property title records.

Approved works

The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department granted administrative sanction for the following works during the financial year 2020 to 2021:

• 1,75,000 individual household soak pits.
• 25,000 Type 1 community soak pits.
• 100 Type 2 community soak pits using horizontal filters.
• 400 Type 3 community soak pits using vertical filters.
• A total of 2,00,500 works at an estimated cost of Rs.200.41 crores.

The model unit costs are Rs.9,300 for an individual household soak pit, Rs.12,500 for a Type 1 community soak pit, Rs.1,33,000 for a Type 2 pit and Rs.1,27,000 for a Type 3 pit. Actual estimates may vary according to site conditions.

Adi Dravidar habitations

Government Order (Ms.) Number 189 reserves targets for 37,650 works in Adi Dravidar habitations. District Rural Development Agency Project Directors must use the THAI survey report to identify requirements through the relevant Block Development Officer.

Key selection requirements include:

• Prioritising habitations in descending order of SC population.
• Selecting sites in descending order of population.
• Compulsorily covering atrocity prone villages identified by the Additional Director General of Police, Social Justice and Human Rights, regardless of population.
• Taking up other Adi Dravidar habitations only after requirements in atrocity prone villages have been exhausted.

Implementation and funding

The Government of India bears the full labour cost. Material costs are shared between the Government of India and the State Government in the ratio of 75 to 25. The stated Central share is Rs.158.52 crores and the State share is Rs.41.89 crores.

Estimates and administrative and technical sanctions must be processed through SECURE software. The detailed soak pit guidelines issued by the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department on 12 September 2018 must be followed without deviation. Financial sanction depends on receipt of the Government of India share.