CHANDIGARH, AUGUST 13:
With the aim of encouraging judicious use of precious water, the Punjab government has provided 90 percent financial assistance to farmers groups for different irrigation schemes.
Disclosing this here, the Soil and Water Conservation Minister Dr. Inderbir Singh Nijjar said that the Punjab Government is promoting micro irrigation (drip & sprinkler) systems in the state in a big way to intensify water conservation and inculcate the need to do so among the farmers. In addition to 90 percent financial assistance to farmers groups the government has also provided 50 percent subsidy to individual farmers, said Nijjar.
He said that the Soil and Water Conservation department has chalked out a plan to address different problems seen in different parts of the state. For instance the north sub-mountainous areas are facing soil erosion, while the southern districts are struggling with problem of saline water and adverse effect of water-logging.
To address these problems the department has already accomplished the project of laying underground pipelines, to bring about efficient utilization of natural resources especially water and soil. Under this project 17,476 hectares of land has been covered, said the Minister adding that the rainwater harvesting structure infrastructures have also been upgraded. These will benefit 563 hectares of land in sub-mountainous areas. Similarly, in plain areas infrastructure has also been strengthened at six sewerage treatment plants to extend benefit of irrigation purposes to 356 hectares of land.
