Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini on Saturday directed officials to ensure strict adherence to project deadlines, with a special focus on water conservation initiatives. Chairing a review meeting of the Irrigation and Water Resources Department's five-year action plan under Haryana Vision-2047 at the civil secretariat, Saini announced an 85% government subsidy for constructing community water tanks to promote water-efficient irrigation across the state.
Modern Irrigation Systems
The chief minister emphasized the need to move beyond traditional irrigation methods and adopt advanced technologies in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Per Drop-More Crop" vision. He instructed officials to implement a modern and water-efficient irrigation system statewide, ensuring irrigation water reaches every farm.
Saini proposed forming farmer groups and constructing community tanks for every 10 acres or more of agricultural land. These tanks will be supplied with canal water through pipelines, and irrigation will be carried out using drip and sprinkler systems. Additionally, solar panels will be installed on the tanks to enhance sustainability.
Pilot Project in Nine Districts
The pilot project will initially launch in nine districts: Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, Gurugram, Mahendragarh, Nuh, Rewari, Hisar, Jhajjar, and Sirsa. The chief minister stated that the new irrigation model would reduce dependence on tubewells, save electricity, and ensure efficient use of limited water resources.
Saini directed officials to discourage open-field irrigation practices and expand micro-irrigation systems, particularly for sugarcane and cotton crops, starting this year. The Irrigation Department was also asked to float tenders for converting agricultural land in selected districts to micro-irrigation systems in collaboration with agri-technology companies.
Learning from Global Best Practices
Furthermore, Saini instructed the Department of Future to study irrigation technologies used in countries such as Israel and assist in modernizing Haryana's irrigation infrastructure.
Clean Water and Sewerage Plans
During another review meeting on the Public Health Engineering Department's Haryana Vision-2047 roadmap, the chief minister directed officials to prepare a time-bound five-year plan for ensuring clean drinking water and sewerage facilities to every household in the state. He stressed the adoption of global best practices, expansion of sewerage networks, reuse of treated wastewater, and development of smart cities with 24x7 water supply, particularly in cities like Gurugram. Officials were also directed to minimize water loss and improve coordination among departments to avoid repeated road digging for utility works.
