Punjab mulling replicating Telangana model for groundwater conservation: Bhagwant Mann

Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday announced to explore the feasibility of replicating the Telangana model for the conservation of groundwater and recharging the water table in Punjab.

Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday announced to explore the feasibility of replicating the Telangana model for the conservation of groundwater and recharging the water table in Punjab.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann visits a dam project in Telangana along with officials of Irrigation Department. (PTI photo)

Mann, who along with the officers of the irrigation department, analysed the Telangana model of water conservation, said that it is a revolutionary model that is aimed at recharging the water table holistically. “The Telangana government has constructed small dams in the villages for conserving the groundwater across the state. As a result of this, the groundwater level has increased up to two metres in the villages,” the CM said. Mann is on a two-day visit to Telangana.

The CM said the need of the hour is to channelise canal water in Punjab for saving the groundwater for the coming generations. He said that the sole motive for examining this model is to check the depletion of groundwater levels. He also took an insightful view of new techniques for saving rapidly decreasing groundwater during his visit to dams and lauded this new and unique way to save the water on one hand and increase the level of groundwater on the other.

Mann said that Telangana has transformed its entire irrigation system by raising the groundwater level with the help of this multi-pronged strategy. He said the efforts include the restoration of minor irrigation tanks (MIT), linking of other major and medium projects with MI tanks and construction of artificial recharge structures such as check dams, percolation tanks, recharge shafts and others. “Due to over-exploitation of the groundwater in Punjab, the water table is swiftly depleting across the state,” he said, bemoaning that more than 78% of the 150 blocks are in extreme dark zones due to depletion of the groundwater table.