Chandigarh, June 13: Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal said that for the smooth availability of groundwater, river water and treated water to the farmers in the state, a centralized water monitoring system should be prepared over the next two years, in which districts, blocks, and villages should be included. For this, he has directed the officers to formulate a plan soon.
Presiding over the first meeting of the Haryana Water Resources Authority today, the Chief Minister said that to raise the depleting groundwater level in the state, there is a need for a customized plan for water recharge and utilization so that people can get adequate supply for agriculture and domestic use. The plan should be extended to the village level with the participation of people and public representatives so that future generations do not have to face the problem of shortage of water. He directed the officers to formulate plans on the basis of different areas of the state and prepare a water availability index of each village so that people can get information regarding the availability of water in the future.
The Chief Minister said that along with this, the groundwater level has gone down to 80 feet in some districts including Kurukshetra, Karnal, Kaithal, and Panipat in the last five decades, which is a serious problem. While the level of groundwater is going down, the dependence and exploitation of the farmers on the groundwater have increased continuously. Along with this, scientific methods have to be adopted for rational use of water and supply of water to the areas with water scarcity.
The Chief Minister said that the previous governments did not pay any attention to increase the availability of water for agricultural use and as a result, the dependence of the people on groundwater increased. This has badly affected the financial condition of the farmers and the agricultural economy due to the expenditure on the installation of tube wells etc. Therefore, farmers should give priority to micro-irrigation in the areas where the groundwater has gone down. For example, the condition of Shahabad and Ismailabad in the Kurukshetra district is worse. He said that the Public Health and Engineering Department should do the work of laying proper pipelines and take proper care to provide purified water to the industries.
Chairperson, Haryana Water Resources Authority, Smt. Keshni Anand Arora gave detailed information in this regard during the meeting and introduced all the newly appointed members. She said that a customized water plan will be prepared for the availability of water as per the requirement of all in the state. In this, the classification of groundwater levels in different parts, on the basis of areas will be studied. The Authority will make people aware by following the water-related plan of the Government of India and the State Government. Along with this, she shared details about the establishment of the office, budget information, and other information.
Additional Chief Secretary, Irrigation and Water Resources Department, Sh. Devender Singh said that the problem arising out of groundwater exploitation has taken a formidable form in 14 out of 22 districts of Haryana, besides waterlogging and water salinity in 7 districts. He said that in the year 2004, out of 114 blocks in the state, 55 blocks had come under the red category, which was about 48 percent due to groundwater exploitation. But in 2020, out of 141 blocks, 85 blocks have reached the red category, which is 60 percent. Therefore, farmers should reduce their dependence on groundwater and give priority to crop diversity.
Chief Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Sh. DS Dhesi said that the ‘Mera Pani Meri Virasat’ scheme launched by the Haryana Government has been appreciated not only in the country but also by the World Bank. This is the first such scheme launched in the country, which is a sign of foresight. He said that in the absence of information about the use and distribution of canal water, people’s dependence on tube wells increases, for this there is a need to prepare a customized plan. Along with this, two-water pipelines should be laid in big cities.
Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Sh. V Umanshkar said that attention at the local level should be paid to solve the water problem. Along with this, micro-purification plants should be installed in the areas where there is more salinity in the water and water should be used by reducing the salinity. Chief Administrator, MICADA, Sh. Pankaj Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, Haryana Water Resources Authority, Dr. Satbir Singh Kadian, Members of Haryana Water Resources Authority, Sh. DP Beniwal, Sh. Mukhtar Singh Lamba and many senior officers were present during the meeting.