Fatehpur Sikri: Akbar’s abandoned capital awaits tryst with Ganga water
Plans are afoot to bring Ganga water to Fatehpur Sikri through a pipeline from the Narora barrage in Bulandshahr district under the Jal Jeevan Mission
Over 400 years after Mughal emperor Akbar was compelled to abandon Fatehpur Sikri as his capital due to perennial water scarcity, this world heritage township in Agra district may see an end to its water woes, courtesy Ganga water.
Plans are afoot to bring Ganga water to Fatehpur Sikri through a pipeline from the Narora barrage in Bulandshahr district under the Jal Jeevan Mission, according to BJP MP Raj Kumar Chahar, who is a member of a Union Jal Shakti ministry committee.
The target year for making water available to every house in Fatehpur Sikri is 2024. Two detailed project reports (DPRs) have been prepared.
Located 38 kilometres from Agra city, Fatehpur Sikri was the capital of the Mughal empire from 1570 to 1585.
“This ambitious plan is part of the Har Ghar Jal (water for every house) scheme under the Jal Jeevan Mission. Agra has been selected in the first phase for which sanction has been obtained for expenditure of ₹6779.57 crore,” said Chahar who got his constituency Fatehpur Sikri included in this project.
Chahar is also national chairman of the BJP Kisan Morcha.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is behind this ambitious project which is to be jointly implemented by the Centre and state government. The objective of the Har Ghar Jal scheme is to provide pure tap water to every house so that there is no need for submersible and hand pumps even in the rural areas,” he added.
Besides PM Modi, he thanked chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Union jal shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat for the scheme.
“The water crisis in Fatehpur Sikri has gone from bad to worse. Last year, 725 revenue villages of Agra district were chosen under the Jal Jeevan Mission. An agency was allotted the task. A survey was conducted at 300 locations in my constituency,” said Chahar.
The BJP MP also said Ganga water will be brought by a pumping mechanism from Narora Barrage in Bulandshahar district through a 126-kilometre-long rising main (pipeline) to this rural belt of Agra district which includes Fatehpur Sikri.
“For the distribution of Ganga water, we plan to have water works at Narkhi in the Tundla region of Firozabad district. From there, Ganga water will be brought to development blocks of the rural belt in Agra district. This will make the dream of tap water for every household a reality,” Chahar said.
Besides Agra, Mathura, Hathras, Unnao and Ballia have been included in this phase of the Jal Jeevan Mission. Tundla, Khairgarh and Kotla development blocks in Firozabad, Koraon, Meja, Manda and Jasra development block in Prayagraj and Naugarh block in Chandauli district are also part of the plan.
