Chandigarh, June 20 (IANS) For the first time, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Friday gave nod to a 14-point action plan as part of the Integrated State Water Plan to preserve and replenish groundwater.

Chairing a meeting of the Water Resources Department, the Chief Minister said the plan has been prepared in consultation with all departments. He said the situation in the state is already alarming, as 115 of the 153 blocks are over-exploited in terms of groundwater extraction.

Mann said the plan focuses on saving the groundwater and enhancing the usage of canal water for various purposes. The Chief Minister expressed concern over the annual average of the lowering of water level by 0.7 metres due to the extraction of 5.2 billion cubic metres of water. He said it can be done by reducing the groundwater demand, decreasing agricultural water demand, improving the techniques of irrigation, replenishing the groundwater and artificially augmenting the groundwater.

Mann said that along with it, efforts must be made to find other sustainable sources, deep aquifer exploration and promote the use of surface water. The Chief Minister further added that the government has already worked extensively on restoring and expanding the existing surface water infrastructure.

He said the government is duty-bound to give water to every tail-end user, and working on this principle, the government has already restored 17,000 watercourses with an approximate length of about 6,300 km, abandoned for 30 to 40 years, and 79 canals, covering 545 km, after 30 to 40 years of abandonment.

Mann also gave a nod to the 14-point action plan as a part of the Integrated State Water Plan, which includes an effective irrigation plan for the optimum use of water in the fields. The Chief Minister said the plan should aim to bring around 15,79,379 hectares under various water-efficient techniques such as drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation and others instead of conventional irrigation methods to reduce the net water demand and wastage of water by increasing the efficiency.

–IANS

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