Trial run on Saraswati river

Shiv Kumar Sharma

Tribune News Service

Yamunanagar, August 10

The trial run of releasing water into the Saraswati river has been successful in Yamunanagar district.

The trial was conducted in the 11-km area of Yamunanagar district from Uncha Chandna village to Jhivrehri village. The water has now entered the area of Kurukshetra district and is expected to reach Kurukshetra city soon.

Sources said the 25 cusecs water was released into the river from Uncha Chandna village at 3 pm on August 3. The water was later increased to 50 cusecs on August 6 and it would be further increased to 150 cusecs soon.

Prashant Bhardwaj, deputy chairman, Haryana Saraswati Heritage Development Board, said the trial run of had been going on since August 3.

The sources said in the first phase, the water of the river would be flown into the Ghaggar river in Kaithal district till the rest of the portion of the river was excavated in other districts.

They said the water was being supplied to the Saraswati river from the Dadupur head through the Shahbad-Nalvi feeder. The water of Som, Pathrala and Yamuna rivers (through Western Yamuna Canal) gets collected at the Dadupur head.

“The revival of the Saraswati will solve several purposes, including religious sentiments of the people, recharging of groundwater in an area facing the problem of low water table, interlinking of rivers, maximum use of rain and floodwater in dams and reservoirs,” said Bhardwaj.

The sources said the excavation work of the river had been started with the efforts of Darshan Lal Jain, president, Saraswati Nadi Shodh Sansthan, on April 21, 2015, and Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is also taking keen interest in the work.