Following orders from Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das, work began in right earnest to breathe new life into two vital water supply reservoirs for the State capital Hatia Dam and Kanke Dam which have been withering after a prolonged dry season.
The Drinking Water and Sanitation Department started removing silt mechanically from the two reservoirs to make storage space for water from their respective catchment areas and rainwater. Instructions in this regard were issued by the CM himself after a visit to the dams on April 15.
During the initial phase, 50,000 cubic meters will be removed from each of the two dams, said Executive Engineer Swetabh Kumar. This will clear storage space for 100 million litres of water collectively in both Hatia as well as Kanke Dam.
Das had instructed to deepen the water reservoirs so that rainwater during this monsoon can be stored and is not wasted away. He had directed concerned officials to plan in advance for ensuring water supply to denizens of Ranchi during summers next year.
As work began on Friday at Hatia Dam and on Thursday at Kanke Dam, the DWSD engineers pointed out that there will be no hindrances which might impede work on deepening the two dams.
“We began working from today with five trucks and one poke land machine. As there is no foreseeable hurdle in the work, we expect to remove the decided 50,000 cubic meters within one month from now,” stated Department’s Executive Engineer KK Verma, who is supervising de-siltation at Hatia Dam.
Similar reports of progress came from Kanke Dam too. “Around 600 cubic metres of silt was removed on the first day of work tomorrow. The pace of work will only grow from here on as work is going on smoothly with machines and least manual involvement. Clearing Kanke Dam will be completed well before the arrival of monsoon this year, which is in two months,” asserted Rajesh Kumar, Executive Engineer working here with one poke land machine, one truck and 15 tractors.
“Along with de-silting eight acres of Kanke Dam, rest of the area is being surveyed for determining the level of silt that will be cleared in coming days,” he further added. “Reach will be extended to these areas as they dry up,” said Kumar.
This project will bring some respite for people who reside in the several densely populated localities these two water reservoirs cater to. Hatia reservoir is the primary source of drinking water for Doranda, AG Colony, SAIl Colony, HEC, Hinoo, Hatia railway station and Hawai Nagar. People from Kanke Road, Dam Side, Gandhi Nagar, Chandni Chowk get their water from Kanke reservoir.
Meanwhile, the inlets to the dams blocked by urban expansion have also been cleared to allow water to flow into the dams from their catchment areas. “Debris and other obstructions have been cleared from two inlets to Hatia Dam. In addition to this, if rainfall remains adequate this year, the reservoir will hold water close to its storage capacity,” Verma said.