By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 3 Apr: In a significant move that may ensure sustainable water supply for the next three decades, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami today directed officials to formulate a long-term action plan in this regard. These directions were issued by the CM while chairing a high-level meeting on drinking water and water resources held at the Secretariat, here, today. Emphasising rainwater conservation and recharge of groundwater, he asked the authorities to integrate public participation and expert recommendations into future strategies.
During the meeting, Dhami stressed upon the importance of creating separate concrete plans for drinking water, water storage, and conservation to meet the needs of both the next 10 years (Mid Term Plan) and the next 30 years (Long Term Plan). He asserted the necessity of making Ganga water potable throughout the state’s boundaries by implementing Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) projects on its tributaries. The CM also laid importance on seeking greater public cooperation to maintain the river’s cleanliness.
To ensure regular water supply under the Jal Jeevan Mission, Dhami directed the officials to focus on reviving old water sources while identifying new ones, especially to prevent drinking water shortages in summer. He also called for regular cleaning of water storage tanks and drinking water tankers and periodical testing of drinking water quality. If the water quality standards meet safety benchmarks, citizens should be encouraged to use natural water sources more extensively, he observed.
Furthermore, the CM also instructed the establishment of district-level control rooms and toll-free helplines to assist residents facing water supply issues. He directed that public complaints related to drinking water should be regularly monitored and resolved by the concerned department.
Addressing governance issues, Dhami instructed the officials to compile a list of personnel who have remained in the same post for five years. He also directed the Chief Secretary to review underutilised assets across departments and ensure their proper usage.
With Uttarakhand entering its Silver Anniversary year, Dhami emphasised the need for innovative and model projects that could serve as exemplary frameworks for other states. He noted that the SARA initiative in Uttarakhand has been appreciated by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
The proposals under the SARA initiative aim to connect self-help groups through Jal Sakhi to handle billing, corrections, and maintenance at the local level. Additionally, treated water from STPs is also being planned for use for gardening, irrigation, industrial use, nurseries, car washing, and agriculture. Efforts are underway to ensure that water from Ganga and its tributaries flows at Category A standard up to the state’s final border.
Under SARA, departments are collaborating to revive critical water sources, with plans to measure the flow and discharge of rain-fed rivers. Institutions such as IRI Roorkee and the National Hydrological Institute are expected to conduct studies to identify key areas for intervention.
At the same time, Uttarakhand Climate-Friendly Rainfed Agriculture Project aims to make mountain farming profitable while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As part of this initiative, plantation drives will be conducted on barren farmland, with plans to offer carbon credit benefits to farmers.
The meeting was attended by Vice Chairman of Uttarakhand Infrastructure Monitoring Council Vishwas Dawar, Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan, Principal Secretaries RK Sudhanshu and R Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretaries Shailesh Bagoli and Ranveer Singh Chauhan, Special Secretary Parag Madhukar Dhakate, Project Director Jalgam Neena Grewal (IFS) and Additional Secretary Himanshu Khurana amongst others.
