Himachal’s first-ever multipurpose rainwater harvesting dam has been constructed by the jal shakti vibhag at Samoor Khad near Samoor village in Una district.
Built at a cost of ₹16.38 crore, the dam can store the rainwater in a massive reservoir collected from the catchment area of 10 sq km and will ensure water supply to a population of 5,580 living in water-deficient areas during dry seasons, rural development minister Virender Kanwar said on Sunday.
Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur will inaugurate the dam later this month, he added.
The dam was constructed on hillocks to store rainwater to allow it to percolate underground to raise the water table, which otherwise quickly drains off the rocky soil and hilly terrain. The cost-effective dam built on Samoor Khad is able to store up to 767 million litre of water to increase the groundwater level in geographically difficult areas, said Kanwar.
The water from the dam is sufficient to irrigate 233 hectares and combat weather vagaries of the surrounding nine villages for the entire year which will directly benefit 1,088 families living in the area to face an onslaught of incremental heat and eventual drought.
Around 44 hand pumps and 31 wells that almost dry up during drought season in the areas will also be recharged through this dam during irrigation activities.
Farmers, who almost left cultivation due to the lack of seasonal rains or they barely grow one crop a year due to the lack of irrigations, will now be able to grow cash crops like citrus fruits, guava, litchi, and pomegranate through the HP SHIVA project launched by the horticulture department in these villages for optimum use of irrigation facilities.
{{/usCountry}}Farmers, who almost left cultivation due to the lack of seasonal rains or they barely grow one crop a year due to the lack of irrigations, will now be able to grow cash crops like citrus fruits, guava, litchi, and pomegranate through the HP SHIVA project launched by the horticulture department in these villages for optimum use of irrigation facilities.
{{/usCountry}}The fisheries department has provided seedlings to the locals to practice fisheries.
Tourism activities will be carried out under the aegis of the Kutlehar Tourism Development Society (KTDS) to generate one more step towards employment through fishing and tourism.
The state government will develop this area as a model in convergence with various departments and involve experts drawn from agriculture, horticulture, tourism, and animal husbandry, he said.
The lift irrigation scheme has been designed to irrigate the area of nine villages for 233 hectares with gravity as well as by lifting the water back on the hill in the same catchment from where it comes down as runoff and goes down without recharging the mountainous land at uphill and cause flood havoc on the lower region.