Chhatrapur: As the groundwater level has been plummeting every year due to misuse, the issue has become a cause for concern for many in Ganjam district. To deal with the problem, the administration has decided to construct 110 ‘Amrit Sarovar’ ponds across Ganjam district. These types of ponds are developed under the ‘Jal Shakti Mission’ to increase the groundwater level. Sources said that five such ponds will be dug up in each block of the district.
Notably, 15 Amrit Sarovar ponds have already been inaugurated in the district, August 15 as part of this initiative. Rainwater will be harvested in these ponds. The water will seep below the ground thereby increasing the level below the soil. According to officials of the district administration, such projects will play a crucial role in ensuring proper supply of drinking water; provide irrigation facilities apart from recharging the groundwater level. Such projects have been included under MGNREGS which means scores of rural labourers and job card holders will also get a chance to work and earn their livelihood, officials said. They pointed out that an Amrit Sarovar dug up on an acre of land is capable of storing 10,000 cubic metres of water. They added that during the setting up of an Amrit Sarovar pond more than 200 people will be employed over several days. “If five such projects are executed in a block, it will have the right resources to retain 50,000 cubic metres of water which will be enough to cater to the irrigation of farmlands,” sources said.
“In many areas, farmers in non-irrigated pockets have to struggle to save crops when the rainfall is not sufficient. In that case, such projects will be very handy. These ponds will help create livelihood for rural population, boost farming and ultimately usher in the economic growth of the region,” said Ganjam District Collector Dibyajyoti Parida. Executive officer of Ganjam Zilla Parishad V Kirti Vasan said that work for the entire project is in full swing.