Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has directed officials to get all ponds of the state cleaned so that their water can be used for drinking by animals or for irrigation. With the cooperation of panchayats, villagers should be motivated to not let garbage and dirty water from homes go into the ponds, he said.

He was chairing a review meeting of the Haryana Pond and Waste Water Management Authority in Chandigarh on Thursday evening.

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Senior officials of various departments, including Development and Panchayats Department, Irrigation, Forest, Urban Local Bodies, Fisheries, Public Works Department and National Highway Authority of India were present in the meeting.

Recharge 500 villages with low groundwater level in first phase

Expressing concern over the falling groundwater level, the Chief Minister said in the first phase, a target of recharging groundwater of 500 villages should be set and this work should be completed within the stipulated period.

He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also expressed concern over the falling groundwater level. The Prime Minister had said that the depletion of groundwater is the biggest challenge for the country and we all have to work together to deal with this challenge. He had called upon the people to fight water pollution.

The Chief Minister said we should also work in accordance with the Prime Minister’s vision and build as many ponds as possible in the dark zone so that water can be stored during the rainy season. This will not only improve the groundwater level but this water can also be used for other purposes after the rains. He also directed to explore the possibilities of using the Hansi-Butana link canal for water storage.

While giving instructions to do comprehensive water management through a water audit in the state, the Chief Minister said the Prime Minister had recently launched the first phase of the National River Link Project to interlink rivers.

On the same lines, the Chief Minister instructed the officials to prepare a road map to interlink the rivers passing through the state. This will help in avoiding the damage caused by floods during rainy days and raising the low groundwater level.

The Chief Minister said the Amrit Sarita Yojana was envisaged in the Sankalp Patra. Under this, the embankments of all the canals and rivers of the state have to be strengthened. He said this work can be done under the MGNREGA scheme. Strengthening the embankments will prevent incidents of canal breakage. He also instructed officials to form a task force to stop theft of water from canals.

While giving instructions to make arrangements for water drainage through solar pumps to fix the waterlogging in Charkhi Dadri, Jhajjar, Mahendragarh, Sonipat, Rohtak and some other areas, Saini said fish farming business can be started by making ponds in the surrounding areas. Farmers must be encouraged for this so that water can be easily drained from the waterlogged area.

The Chief Minister was informed in the meeting that a total of 19,716 sarovars have been built in the state under the Haryana Pond and Waste Water Management Authority, out of which 18,813 are in villages and the rest are in cities.

After reviewing all the Amrit Sarovars, the Chief Minister directed the officials to ensure the maintenance of the sarovars which are ready and plantation should also be done on their banks. This will strengthen the banks and the environment will also remain clean. He directed officials to inspire the villagers to get their daughters to plant trees so that they have a sense of belongingness with these trees.

The Chief Minister, while instructing all the departments to work in coordination, said at present, the groundwater level is continuously falling. While the Amrit Sarovar Yojana will help in raising the groundwater level, the ponds must remain clean and people will also remain healthy due to pollution-free ponds.

Chief Secretary Dr Vivek Joshi, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Arun Kumar Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance, Anurag Rastogi, Commissioner and Secretary, Development and Panchayats, Dr Amit Kumar Agrawal, Additional Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Dr Saket Kumar and senior officers of the pond authority were present in the meeting.