Chandigarh, August 16:
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s government has started projects worth around Rs.90 crore for strengthening and improving irrigation facilities in the state using natural resources, which will provide irrigation facilities in 9 districts of the state. Similarly, a new project with a cost of Rs.100 crore has also been proposed for assistance of underground pipeline projects.
Describing this here, Punjab Soil & Water Conservation Minister Dr. Inderbir Singh Nijjar said that for integrated development of kandi area, a new watershed development programme has been started at a cost of Rs.80-CR with a target to benefit 70,000 acres of sub-mountainous area in Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, SBS Nagar, Rupnagar and SAS Nagar districts.
“The Main focus of the scheme shall be on Natural Resource Management through rainwater harvesting, Farm Production, livelihood support and community development activities”, said Dr. Nijjar, adding that efforts have also been made for using treated water of four Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) for irrigation purposes.
He informed that Rs7.71 Cr. has been allotted for laying infrastructure for productive utilization of treated waste water of 4 STPs for irrigation, which will provide irrigation facilities up to 2,000 acres of agricultural land in districts Hoshiarpur, Barnala, Fatehgarh Sahib and Ludhiana.
Dr. Nijjar said that apart from this, a new project for assistance on community & individual projects of underground pipeline for judicious use of available irrigation water has also been proposed with an outlay of Rs.100-CR.
Besides this, Rs.11-CR has been approved for taking up new schemes for construction of Water harvesting-cum natural recharging Structures/ check dams in sub-mountainous kandi area, Irrigation Infrastructure for productive use of water stored in Village Ponds and construction of projects for Roof-top Rainwater Harvesting and Artificial Recharging in Govt./Institutional Buildings, he added.
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