Pond water to be used for irrigation now

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 22

The state government has chalked out a comprehensive plan to treat the contaminated water of all the ponds in the state and subsequently to use this water to irrigate the fields. Disclosing this, SK Sandhu, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Punjab said that Planning Department, Irrigation Department and Sewerage Board would jointly undertake this task.

Sandhu, who was in Jalandhar to monitor the activities executed to check the contamination of Kali Bein, okayed the irrigation system as proposed and implemented by Environmentalist Balbir Singh Sechewal in various villages, as per which water taken from village ponds was used for irrigation in fields.

While the method saves water, it is also eco-frieendly and practical as reiterated by the environmentalist various times.

In a meeting at Jalandhar with famous eco-activist and environmentalist Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, Executive Officer of Sewerage Board DK Tiwari and Deputy Commissioner Jalandhar Kamal Kishore,. Sandhu said Chief Minister Parksah Singh Badal, in a meeting held three weeks ago, had issued directions to discover all those entry points in all the districts adjoining Kali Bein which were draining out contaminated water in this pious rivulet.

He said complying with the directions of Chief Minister, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar and Kapurthala districts were working on this task and they would soon furnish the report to the government.

Principal Secretary further said the Punjab Government had already generated sufficient funds to set up a treatment plant on the bank of Kali Bein rivulet. During the meeting funds to the tune of Rs. 55 lakh were approved for the cleanliness of Kala Sanghia Drain. Later in the day Sandhu visited Sewerage Treatment Plant set up at Basti Peer Dad along with Sant Seechewal.

S.K Sandhu also visited the Project site at village Seechewal, where contaminated water is treated and water is used for irrigation purposes. Kapurthala Deputy Commissioner Daljit Singh Mangat and SSP Rajinder Singh were also present on the occasion.