Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 12 Aug: Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan on Tuesday reviewed the progress on construction and saturation of barrages, check dams, and reservoirs across the state in a meeting with the Irrigation Department, Minor Irrigation Department, and the Water Sources and River Rejuvenation Authority at the Secretariat, here. The Chief Secretary directed that a five-year plan be prepared for barrages and check dams across Uttarakhand, along with a detailed action plan and timeline.
The Chief Secretary took a detailed account of the works being undertaken by the Irrigation Department, Minor Irrigation Department, and the Water Sources and River Rejuvenation Authority. He stated that the entire state must be saturated with check dams and barrages. He instructed that barrages be constructed in rivers to ensure water availability across the state and that priority should be given to areas with low drinking water availability.
He emphasised that, for the construction of check dams, departments must strictly follow the guidelines of the Water Sources and River Rejuvenation Authority. He also stressed the need to focus on watershed areas and the treatment of water sources. He said that check dams not only improve groundwater levels but can also help prevent incidents like the recent disaster in Dharali during the monsoon season.
The Chief Secretary directed that a list of barrages and check dams be prepared and prioritised, giving preference to drinking water and irrigation schemes. He also instructed the Authority to continue working on groundwater recharge in urban areas and to adopt eco-friendly technology.
He further instructed that the construction of reservoirs in the state be expedited. He asked the Secretary, Irrigation, to conduct weekly reviews to accelerate the construction of the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Reservoir. He also ordered the early completion of the Satpuli Barrage in Pauri district and the commencement of work on the proposed Khairana Barrage in Nainital district.
During the meeting, a detailed presentation was made on the ongoing works of the Irrigation Department, Minor Irrigation Department, and the Water Sources and River Rejuvenation Authority.
Present on the occasion were Secretaries Dilip Jawalkar, Yugal Kishore Pant, Additional Secretary Himanshu Khurana, and senior officers of the Irrigation and Minor Irrigation Departments.
