FMDA project to recharge groundwater

Bijendra Ahlawat

Faridabad, June 13

The Faridabad Metro Development Authority (FMDA) is planning a project to facilitate the recharge of groundwater in the district through reservoir-like structures.

To utilise surplus during monsoon

• The FMDA will construct reservoir-like structures and these spots will receive floodwater from the Yamuna river through pipes/drains during the monsoon.
• This water will be stored and harvested to recharge the water table wherever it has faced depletion due to the rise in population and extraction of groundwater on a large scale.

It is expected to provide a long and stable source of groundwater for meeting the the demand for drinking water here for many decades.

“The FMDA has identified around 300 acres for setting up the project and submitted a proposal to the Union Ministry of Defence and the state’s Department of Panchayats to get permission to use land for setting up reservoir-like structures in Tilpat and two villages located in the vicinity of the Yamuna river in the district,” according to the department officials.

It is learnt that around 250 acres of land has been selected near Tilpat village that belongs to the Defence Ministry. Another 40 acres of panchayat land in Chandpur and Imamuddin have also been identified for the project.

These spots will receive floodwater from the Yamuna river through pipes/drains during the monsoon. This water will be stored and harvested to recharge the water table wherever it has faced depletion due to the rise in population and extraction of groundwater on a large scale.

The reservoirs with the depth of five to six feet, will be used to harvest the surplus flood or rain water to recharge the groundwater, it is added.

Recharging the water table will help the department in ensuring the supply of drinking water through Ranney well projects that were already functional and meeting around 60-70 per cent of the water supply needs of the city at present, said an official.

As around 12 Ranney wells have been supplying up to 310 MLD (million litres per day) of water, the FMDA is working on the construction of another 12 Ranney wells on the Yamuna banks to boost the water supply. The city is currently faced with a shortage of around 130 MLD of water.

City resident Vishnu Goel said since the extraction of water is around 200 per cent higher than the recharge, the government should set up such spots in both urban and rural areas to deal with the rising crisis of water shortage.

Vishal Bansal, Chief Engineer, Water and Sewage Wing of the FMDA, said the process of seeking permission for the possession of land from the departments concerned has been taken up for the construction of reservoirs or ponds like depressions. These would be used as open water storage tanks in order to recharge groundwater table on a large scale, Bansal added.