Agriculture and Water Resources Minister Brijmohan Agrawal on Friday performed “Bhoomipoojan” for State’s first Micro-Irrigation project to be developed at a cost of Rs 18 crore between villages Hardidih and Kagdehi in Raipur district and villages Gadsivni and Pidi in Mahasamund district.
It will be built near Hardi anicut on Mahanadi river. It is the first experimental project of the Water Resources Department.
“The fields will be irrigated on drip irrigation methods. It will give a new direction to irrigating the fields in the entire State,” the Minister remarked while attending the ceremony as part of the ongoing State-wide ‘lok Suraj’ Abhiyan.
The ‘Drip Irrigation’ will irrigate 500 hectares in Kharif season and 250 hectares in Rabi season. Four separate pump houses will be built in all the villages. The experts in agriculture will educate the farmers in the new Drip irrigation project and to make maximum utilisation of limited water resources. Fencing of the agriculture fields will be carried out to keep away animals.
Farmers’ committees will be constituted in the villages and the construction agencies will maintain the ‘Drip Irrigation’ facilities for at least three years. The farmers can put better usage of insecticides and manures and water resources.
The Minister revealed that 40 more Micro-Irrigation projects will be built soon in the entire State.
He called upon the farming community to become prosperous with the help of agriculture. MlA Vimal Chopra, former Minister Poonam Chandrakar, senior officer sand people’s representatives were also present on the occasion.