Una’s watershed festival aims to make water conservation a mass movement

A district-level watershed festival was organised on Monday in Samoor Kalan with an objective to make water conservation a mass movement. Kutlehar MLA Vivek Sharma, as the chief guest at the event, laid the foundation stones of various projects — with an estimated total cost of Rs 1.8 crore — pertaining to the conservation and optimal use of water.

The projects cover the conservation of natural water sources, as well as the construction and maintenance of wells and water bodies such as ponds and check dams.

All these works will be carried out under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana 2.0. Addressing the public, Vivek Sharma said the objective of organising the watershed festival was to protect and conserve water, thereby maintaining the fertility of soil, and, ultimately, sustaining life of all forms.

He said securing watershed systems, conserving water, preserving soil moisture and rejuvenating water sources were the main priorities of the campaign.

The rejuvenation of natural sources, the regular cleaning and repair of drains and check dams, and the effective collection of runaway rain and sub-surface water were essential for water conservation, he added.

The MLA said, in an effort to spruce up the drinking water system in the Kutlehar region, the Chief Minister would soon lay the foundation stone for a new drinking water project, estimated to cost Rs 15 crore.

He said the detailed project report of an irrigation project for the farms of Kutlehar, estimated to cost Rs 45 crore, was ready.

During the programme, the MLA distributed toolkits worth Rs 1 crore to 1,600 beneficiaries from seven panchayats of the Kutlehar Assembly constituency — Samoor Kalan, Lamlehri, Madanpur, Dangoli, Jhamber, Tabba, and Basoli — under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana 2.0.

The kits included spray pumps, and other agricultural and horticulture equipment.