80 hazardous ponds in Karnal dist to be cleaned, redeveloped

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, April 8

As many as 80 ponds of the district, which have become a health hazard for residents, will be reclaimed by the Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) during the pre-monsoon and monsoon period under the “Catch the rain” campaign, a national-level programme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month.

Under the campaign, these ponds will not only be cleaned but also desilted for water conservation, the capacity of these ponds will also be increased. Besides, efforts will be made to treat the water, so that it will be used for agriculture purpose. These works will be done under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGREGA) funds and the Swachh Bharat Mission, said Gaurav Kumar, District Nodal Officer for the “Catch the rain” project.

Four being developed as model ones

• There are 971 ponds in the district, including 946 in rural areas
• Of them four ponds are being developed as model ponds situated in Sagga, Padha, Kachwa and Gonder villages, while the water of 105 ponds is being treated with the help of wetland technology.
• A pond in Samora village is being treated with the help of biodigester technology.

“After the cleaning and desilting of these waterbodies, we will be able to conserve the rain water,” he said, adding that the number of such ponds will also be increased in the coming days. “I have directed the officials concerned to speed up the implementation of this project as this is the right time for redeveloping ponds,” he added.

There are 971 ponds in the district, including 946 in rural areas, of them four ponds are being developed as model ponds situated in Sagga, Padha, Kachwa and Gonder villages, while the water of 105 ponds is being treated with the help of wetland technology. A pond in Samora village is being treated with the help of biodigester technology. As many as 80 ponds have been identified so far for the purpose of water conservation, said Ramphal, SE, Panchayati Raj Institution.

Apart from it, beautification of these ponds will also be done by growing plants, he added. Tejinder Singh Teji, member, Haryana Pond and Waste Water Management Authority, said the Haryana Government had constituted the Pond and Waste Water Management Authority for the rejuvenation of waterbodies across the state. The authority has started work and it has asked the PRI and Irrigation Department for the redevelopment of these ponds.