E-Paper
Dongia reservoir to be ecotourism destination
The Uttar Pradesh government is developing the Dongia reservoir in Sonbhadra district as an ecotourism destination with an approved budget of ₹4.14 crore. The district offers picturesque views, greenery, and natural beauty, and the government aims to turn it into a tourism hub. The district is located 80 km away from Varanasi and attracts around 300 tourists daily, including foreign tourists, with its boating facility.
The Uttar Pradesh government has initiated steps to develop the Dongia reservoir, located in the Pipri area of Sonbhadra district, as an ecotourism destination.
Tourism and culture minister Jaiveer Singh announced that ₹4.14 crore has been approved for the development of ghats and other tourist facilities at Dongia reservoir. Various tourism development works are underway to put the tourism-rich district of Sonbhadra on the tourism map.
Singh highlighted that Sonbhadra district boasts picturesque views, greenery, and natural beauty. The district’s borders touch four states: Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh. Known as Sonanchal and Urjanchal of UP, this district has been compared to Switzerland. The state government is making efforts to turn this district into a tourism hub.
The tourism minister further said that Varanasi, bordering Sonbhadra, is the first choice of domestic tourists in the state. In 2022, 7.12 crore tourists visited the temple city, including 83,741 international tourists. After the construction of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, the number of tourists has increased rapidly.
There are many religious, historical, and ecotourism places around Varanasi, about which people are either not aware or lack basic facilities. Therefore, the Tourism Department is prioritizing the development of tourist destinations in neighboring districts, he continued.
Sonbhadra district is located about 80 km away from Varanasi and offers mountains, dense forests, rivers, and waterfalls as unique gifts of nature. The Dongia reservoir is in the Pipri Nagar Panchayat area, about 72 km from the district headquarters. The district administration has launched a boating facility, attracting around 300 tourists, including foreign tourists, to visit the spot daily, the minister added.
