23 village ponds revived in Sirsa, PM to inaugurate projects today

Under the Amrit Sarovar and Amrit Plus schemes, 23 village ponds in Sirsa district have been fully rejuvenated, replacing foul-smelling stagnant water with clean and fresh water. Livestock is now getting safe drinking water and villagers have begun visiting the restored ponds in the evenings for walks and recreation. These ponds are among the 300 water bodies across Haryana that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate on Tuesday at a state-level event in Kurukshetra.

Sirsa district aims to revive a total of 100 ponds. Of these, 23 have been completed, work on 29 is in the final stage and rapid progress is being made on the remaining 48. The overall project is expected to cost around Rs 80 crore, with Rs 31 crore already spent. Under the Amrit Plus component, facilities such as footpaths, ghats, fencing, seating benches, streetlights, separate drainage channels for wastewater and treatment systems have been installed.

Villages where ponds have been restored include Bajekan, Bhavdin and Shahpur Begu in Sirsa block; Biruwala Gudha, Jorar Rohi, Nejadela Khurd and Rori in Baragudha block; Ahemadpur Darewala, Banwala and Godikan in Dabwali; Jamal and Rupawas in Nathusari Chopta; Panniwala Mota in Odhan; and Bacher, Dhudhiyanwali, Bani, Kehrwala, Khairekan and Mangalia in Rania block.

Residents say the transformation has brought multiple benefits. The removal of foul odour has improved the village environment, livestock now has access to clean water and related diseases have decreased. Treated household wastewater is channelled into the ponds, helping maintain water quality for two to three years. With footpaths, benches, lighting and fencing, the ponds have also become community recreation spots.

Panchayati Raj Executive Engineer Gaurav Bhardwaj said work is underway on 52 ponds under the two schemes, with 23 completed. He said the district’s target of rejuvenating 100 ponds would be achieved soon.