Fish cultivation to enhance rural livelihood

Our Correspondent

Una, August 19

Indian carp fish fingerlings will be introduced in about 30 water bodies under the rural livelihood programme of the Japan Bank-funded Swan River Integrated Watershed Management Project.

Chief Project Director Dr Suresh Kumar said 130 water harvesting structures, with a capacity to store 19 lakh cubic metres of water, had been constructed to check and retain rain water in the form of check dams and ponds.

During the last few years, rain had resulted in strengthening the water bodies and their gradual conversion into structures had been capable to sustain aquatic life, he said.

Dr Suresh said 29 water harvesting structures having a total water surface area of 23.3 hectares were shortlisted for fish stocking and about 2.8 lakh fish seeds were introduced last year through the cage farming technique.

He said the activity was being undertaken at the grass-roots level by local water user groups, constituted under the project.

“The groups will auction the produce when fishes will be ready for harvesting,” he said.

He said the sales proceeds would be shared amongst the members of the user group after keeping 15 per cent for repair and maintenance of structures.