Recycled water to irrigate 5% of state’s farms?

Gurgaon: Stressing the use of recycled water to meet shortfall in agriculture requirements, chief minister Manohar Lal Kattar on Friday said 207 sewage treatment plants (STPs) are being built across the state to send treated water to irrigation channels.
Water from these STPs will irrigate around 4 lakh acres of land, which is around 5% of the total agricultural land of Haryana, whose high paddy cultivation is a major stress on its groundwater aquifers. “Haryana is a water-deficit state, and we need better management of existing water resources and focus on uses of recycled water for irrigation purposes,” Khattar said on Friday. He was in the city to inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of state-wide projects worth Rs 2,000 crore.
According to the CM, Haryana’s water requirement is 32 million acre-feet (MAF), but only half of it — 16 MAF — is available at present. Khattar on Friday laid the foundation stone for a GMDA project to supply around 200 MLD recycled water to Nuh, which has been grappling with water scarcity for irrigation and human consumption for decades, for irrigation purposes. Officials from the metropolitan authority said this project will be executed in coordination with the irrigation department.
Khattar said the Centre recently organised a meeting over groundwater, in which it was pointed out that around 1,100 billion cubic metres (BCM) of water is available in the country, of which only 800 BCM is used. “If we fail to manage our water resources, we may face a crisis-like situation in 10-15 years. Many parts of the country are already reeling from water shortage,” he added.
The chief minister further said Haryana is battling a water crisis. “We have a water deficit, and many areas don’t have water for irrigation. Around 40% of the state’s agricultural land is irrigated through canal irrigation systems and 30% through tubewells. The remaining 30% is dependent on rainwater. For this, there is a need to promote micro-irrigation,” Khattar said. Along with this, water will also have to be reused through wastewater management, he added.
Speaking on the ongoing water dispute over the Satluj Yamuna Link with Punjab, Khattar said despite a Supreme Court order, the Punjab government has refused to construct it. “The next hearing on the issue in SC is scheduled for January 16, when the state will bring this to the notice of the apex court,” the CM said.
Khattar also thanked farmers who have opted for crop diversification under the ‘Mera Pani — Meri Virasat’ scheme and reduced paddy sowing in over one lakh acres of land.