Desiltation of check dams begins, to help meet irrigation demand

Desiltation of check dams has begun in Punjab, paving way for effective utilisation of reservoirs for irrigation in the water-starved villages located in the lower Shivalik Hills.

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Of the 13 dams, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has given permission for desiltation of three reservoirs — Siswan dam (Mohali), Chohal dam (Hoshairpur) and Saleran dam (Hoshiarpur), said officials in the Water Resources Department.

While the work has already started at the Siswan dam, it will start at the remaining two as the state Forest Department is in the process of finalising the standard operating procedure to remove the silt from forest areas.

Due to accumulation of silt, the reduced capacity of the dams is also affecting the wildlife that is dependent on the water reservoirs.

The department aims to earn near Rs 20 crore by selling the silt removed from the three dams. The silt will be sold for commercial purpose in the National Highways Authority of India projects.

The area of the reservoirs is spread in around 2,000 hectares.

Built 35 years ago with World Bank funds, the dams have not been desilted for the past few years. This has resulting in accumulation of silt and thus decreasing the water-carrying capacity of the dams to less than 50 per cent in most cases, said the officials.

A senior government functionary said the forest advisory committee of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had put riders on desiltation of the dams, built in state’s kandi forest area of Hoshiarpur and Mohali districts.

Considering it as cases of re-diversion of land and proposed use of the extracted silt in the highway projects, the Water Resources Department had been asked to submit a mining proposal and an undertaking to deposit the net present value of the area.

Punjab Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) RK Mishra confirmed the approval had been granted for the desiltation of the dams.