Haryana to construct 1,000 wells to recharge groundwater: CM

Khattar inaugurates 60 Amrit Sarovers; urges people to use water with care

Urging people to use water judiciously and avoid wastage, Haryana chief minister (CM) Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday said 200 additional ‘Amrit Sarovars’ and 1,000 wells to recharge groundwater will be constructed across different villages in the upcoming months.

In his virtual address after inaugurating 60 Amrit Sarovars across the state from Dult village of Tohana assembly constituency in Fatehabad district, the CM said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi started the Amrit Sarovar Mission in 2022 to rejuvenate the country’s ponds.

Under this mission, the goal was to rejuvenate ponds in every district, and Haryana has so far constructed 2,078 Amrit Sarovars.

Of the total 60 ‘sarovars’ inaugurated on Wednesday, as many as 31 are located in the Fatehabad district, an official spokesperson said.

The chief minister said that to rejuvenate ponds in the state, the Haryana pond and wastewater management authority has been established. The authority has been directed to survey the ponds available in the state. According to the survey, a total of 19,649 ponds have been identified in the state, with approximately 18,000 ponds in rural areas and 900 ponds in urban areas.

Out of these ponds, about 11,000 are polluted, and efforts are being made for their rejuvenation, Khattar said.

The CM said as per scientific studies against water demand of about 35 lakh crore litres in the state, about 21 lakh crore litres water is available.

Khattar said the Central Pollution Control Board has appreciated the initiatives taken by Haryana for the purification of polluted water, water conservation, and water management, considering Haryana as a model for other states.

He said the state government has increased the amount for the rejuvenation and beautification of a pond to ₹7 lakh.

He added that by cleaning and filling ponds with treated water, it can be utilised for irrigation, drinking water for livestock, and other essential needs.

Khattar appealed to farmers to opt for alternative crops instead of paddy for water conservation and solving water logging issues. He said in order to recharge groundwater, 1,000 recharge wells have already been constructed in the state and that 1,000 more recharge wells will be constructed.

The construction of these wells will make it possible to irrigate an additional 8,000 acre of land each year, he said.

He said out of 95 lakh acre land suitable for agriculture in Haryana, irrigation is possible on 45 lakh acre through canal water. The remaining land is irrigated through rainfall or tube wells.