Kurukshetra: Sarasvati embankment to be strengthened

Kurukshetra, November 29

To increase the water-carrying capacity and save Thanesar city from floods, the embankment of Sarasvati river, will be strengthened in a phased manner by the Haryana Sarasvati Heritage Development Board.

Will also improve water quality

It will not only help in controlling flood, but also improve the quality of water. At present, there are some areas, which are inaccessible due to which proper cleaning is not possible, but after strengthening the embankment, the river will be cleaned properly. Arvind Kaushik, Superintending Engineer, Haryana Sarasvati Heritage Development Board

Several colonies in Thanesar witnessed floods this year due to overflowing rivers and drains. The present water capacity of the Sarasvati is merely 200 cusecs and the board is aiming to increase the capacity to 450 cusecs.

As per the HSHDB officials, from Pipli to Jyotisar, the river has a length of about 18 km and its embankment will be strengthened in a phased manner. In the first phase, a 3.5 km stretch from Kheri Markanda to Mohan Nagar, will be strengthened at a cost of Rs 3 crore. To increase the capacity, the depth will be increased and the encroachments will be removed.

The Superintending Engineer of the board, Arvind Kaushik, said, “It will not only help in controlling flood, but the quality of water will also improve. At present, there are some areas, which are inaccessible due to which proper cleaning is not possible, but after strengthening the embankment, the river will be cleaned properly. Currently, the work is on in 3.5-km area and for the remaining parts, a file has been sent to the government and after getting approvals, further work will also be carried out. During a survey, encroachments were observed and will be removed to widen the riverbed.” Dhuman Singh Kirmach, vice-chairman of the board, said “Sarasvati river can save Thanesar from floods, but there is a need of increasing its water-carrying capacity and strengthening the embankment. In some areas, the desilting work has not been done in past several years and it is also one of the reason behind the lower water-carrying capacity. The project will be beneficial to residents of Kheri Markanda, Rana Colony, Mohan Nagar and Vasishtha Colony. Directions have been issued to complete the work by December-end.”

“The board has the responsibility of maintaining the RCC drain, which runs parallel to the Sarasvati. Earlier, it was being maintained by the Haryana Shahri Vikas Pradhikaran. The tendering process for the repair and cleaning of the drain is on. While the dirty water will be discharged into the drain, only clean water will flow into the Sarasvati. A walkable path will be developed on the drain”, he added.