Punjab Government has earmarked Rs120 crore for the development of Underground Pipeline System (UGPS), seeking to harvest rainwater to solve various water problems in the State.
The State Agriculture Minister Tota Singh said that the “funds will be used this fiscal for the project which will harvest rainwater through an UGPS, and that has been used as an alternative for efficient use water resources by developed countries”.UGPS has been used as a highly successful and time-tested alternative for efficient use water resources by developed countries.
“The problems of groundwater depletion in central Punjab, scarce water resources in the northern sub-mountainous belt and brackish groundwater in the south-western part of the state can be very well addressed through use of UGPS systems,” said Singh.
He said that these systems not only saved water but also helped in improving yield and quality of farm produce. “This is a three-year development project to be implemented by the Department of Soil and Water Conservation aimed at judicious use of available irrigation water from surface and subsurface water resources,” he said.
The Minister said that a comprehensive irrigation program had also been chalked out under which a two-tier subsidy would be provided. “The beneficiary community shall contribute 10 per cent of the cost in cash or labour form and 90 per cent of cost shall be borne from proposed RIDF-17 Project, under which the State Government shall be granted 95 percent loan by NABARD and the balance five percent shall be the state’s own share,” he said.
The Project shall be well publicised through village Panchayats, Soil Conservation and Agriculture Department extension workers and also through print and electronic media. Prospective beneficiaries shall be educated and motivated to avail the scheme.He said that the Project would benefit more than 35,027 hectares area across Punjab.
“In addition to the socio-economic upliftment of the assisting SC, small, or marginal farmers by assured irrigation and the subsequent strengthening of farm production systems for a better yield, the major benefit would be rehabilitation of environment by facilitating groundwater recharge and curbing salination of the soil,” he added.
The UGPS and rain water harvesting community projects are estimated to increase land value by at least 10 percent, save a chunk of the labour cost, prevent soil erosion and allow for an annual storage of more than 300 ha-m of rainwater for irrigation, he said.Singh said that farmers rely upon their environment for sustenance and the alarming depletion of ground water resources as well as the increase in salinity and loss of vital nutrients from the soil has adversely affected the communities and disturbed the ecological balance.