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NGO, govt PSUs to be roped in for cleaning ponds in GB Nagar
Noida: The district administration is going to sign a memorandum of understanding with a Pune-based non-profit non-government organisation (NGO) to revive ponds
Noida: The district administration is going to sign a memorandum of understanding with a Pune-based non-profit non-government organisation (NGO) to revive ponds in Gautam Budh Nagar district. The MoU will be signed between NGO Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana and the district administration next week.
According to administration officials, the NGO will help revive ponds by providing heavy machinery required for the work. The NGO gave its presentation to the district magistrate and other officials on Thursday.
Officials said to revive ponds, 15% of the expense will be for the machinery, 15% for fuel and the remaining 70% for removing and transporting the silt. The NGO will take care of the cost of machinery as well as coordinate with various departments. An oil public sector undertaking is being roped in to bear the fuel expenses.
“We have 30 years of expertise in water rejuvenation and conservation in water-scarce or drought-hit villages. we will be working in association with the government bodies and the administration to revive ponds in Gautam Budh Nagar. We will also spread awareness among locals to involve them in the process. It will take around two years to complete the task,” Anu Sood, consultant, Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana, said.
The NGO will also help in organising meetings to spread awareness on the importance of water bodies.
“We have been taking various measures to revive ponds. The NGO has given its presentation and we are looking forward to signing an MoU with them. If all goes as planned, we will be able to revive ponds in the district in the next two years,” district magistrate BN Singh said.
There are around 985 ponds in the district, of which 236 have been identified being encroached upon. The administration has been running drives to spread awareness on the importance of saving water.
District officials are in talks with a petroleum company to bear the fuel expenses. It is expected that the administration will be signing an MoU with the company soon.
“We will soon start the work of identifying sites in Dadri, Jewar and Noida. We will be taking the help of private firms with whom we have signed MoUs in the past for site identification along with departments like irrigation and other local bodies,” Abhay Kumar, subdivisional magistrate, said.
The administration will sound out organisations such as the National Highways Authority of India, Airports Authority of India and others to use the silt from these sites to reduce the transportation expenses.
“We will be getting in touch with organisations and locals who may need silt for construction purposes. People will just have to arrange for the transport to take away the silt,” the SDM said.
