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Shri Priyaranjan Dasmunsi, Minister of Water Resources has informed that the Government has implemented Central Sector Scheme for artificial recharge by utilizing surplus monsoon runoff through construction of various structures. While these efforts have led to improvement of ground water levels locally, such efforts need to be replicated in other parts of the country on a larger scale, he added. To promote rain water harvesting and artificial recharge, Central Ground Water Board is providing technical guidance on location and design of rain water harvesting structures, he added. He was addressing the consultative committee of the Ministry of Water Resources here today. Shri Jaiprakash Narayan Yadav, Minister of State for Water Resources, Member of Parliament attached to the Ministry of Water Resources S/Shri S.P.Y. Reddy, Parsuram Majhi, Kunnur Manjunath Channappa, Prasanta Pradhan, Mohammad Muqeem, K. Subbarayan, Rattan Singh Ajnala, Sitaram Singh Yadav, Raghuraj Singh Shakya, Hiten Barman and Dr. Gyan Prakash Pilania, Mrs. Sushma Singh, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources and senior officials of the Ministry were also present at the meeting.
Observing that success of ground water development and management programme depends on the close and active involvement of beneficiaries, Shri Dasmunsi called for peoples participation as a necessary tool for implementation of schemes related to artificial recharge of ground water because water recharged to aquifers joins the common pool ground water reservoir and has to be shared by the community. In this endevour mass awareness and training programmes are conducted regularly for various target groups and awareness is also created through electronic and print media, he informed the members present.
Expressing concern that use of excessive dosage of fertilizers and pesticides/insecticides in many agricultural belts and haphazard disposal of untreated domestic and industrial wastes which have led to ground water quality deterioration/pollution, the Water Resources Minister stated that the ground water quality is also affected by the problem of high incidence of fluoride, arsenic, iron etc. due to geogenic reasons and informed that the Central Ground Water Board carries out scientific studies to explore and locate contamination free aquifers, which could be tapped by the concerned State Agencies for providing safe drinking water supply.
Shri Jaiprakash Narayan Yadav, Minister of State for Water Resources stated that the poor communities i.e. small and marginal farmers, because of small size of land holdings have no access to funding and are; unable to dig their own tube wells. While on the other hand affluent farmers are able to drill deep tube wells leading to non-equitable ground water use and exploitation of poor communities. The Minister of State therefore, called for development of shallow ground water resources through low cost ground water extraction structures. Constraints of variability of ground water in hard rock areas and limited financial resources of most of the farmers need to be kept in view while planning schemes for ground water development and management, he added.
RKJ/AM
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