Recharging projects in only four schools

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, September 23

With all 10 zones of the district in the dark zone due to the overexploitation of groundwater here, the complete lack of the setting up of recharging units across 30 villages – where these had been planned – has aggravated the groundwater crisis.

Only 30 per cent of the grants have been received in the state so far, while the remaining amount is pending and the released amount is also yet to reach the department.

While the units had to be set up under the Centre’s Integrated Water Shed Management Programme, across schools and community centres in 30 villages, so far it has been set up in only four schools. While the water recharging projects had been planned since 2011, due to the lack of funds from the Central Department of Land Resources, which formally allocates funds for the project, the units haven’t been set up at a single school so far.

There is over 200 per cent exploitation of groundwater in over 30 blocks across many districts of the state.

Blocks in Jalandhar, which have severely been affected due to the overexploitation of groundwater include Adampur, Phillaur, Nurmahal, Rurka Kalan, Shahkot, Nakodar and Lohian, Jalandhar East and West. Of the total 30 villages where the units had been planned, the units have only been set up in four of the villages and while one of the remaining had been cancelled, the units are yet to be set up in the remaining 25 villages.

Some of the villages where the units have been planned include Malihan Kalan, Malihan Khurd, Kang Sahib Rai, Singhpur, Dhadda, Dilkhapur, Bajuha Khurd, Avaan Choharmi Singhpur, Singhpur Dona. Sources said while the units were envisioned and planned as per the IWMP phase 1 – which was initiated in the year 2010-11 – due to the delay in the allocation of funds and other complications arising out of the change in the government, so far only 29 to 30 per cent funds for the programme had been released, which, too, haven’t been received so far.

Technical expert of the project and district nodal officer for the IWMP, Jagir Singh Dhol, said, “While the project was initiated in 2010-11 as per 10-90 per cent state-Centre fund-sharing basis, with the coming the Modi government, it was changed to 50-50 state-Centre sharing, following which the funds under the project were stuck up due to the state’s reluctance. The Badal government changed the funding of the project to 40-60 (state-centre) sharing basis after which in 2015-16, some of the money was received. While the money has recently been released to the Finance Department as per the recent update, so far the bills to our department have yet to be routed by the present state government.”

Soil conservation officer, Jalandhar, Lupinder Kumar, said, “The state of water in all 10 blocks of the district is bad and clearly immediate steps have to be taken to deal with the water crisis.”

Fact file

There are 10 blocks in the dark zone due to the overexploitation of groundwater. The villages where the units have been planned include Malihan Kalan, Malihan Khurd, Kang Sahib Rai, Singhpur, Dhadda, Dilkhapur, Bajuha Khurd, Avaan Choharmi Singhpur, Singhpur Dona, among others