Yogi government to build 10,000 farm ponds at Rs 100 crore in Bundelkhand by 2022

Lucknow: Bundelkhand will no longer be thirsty, says the Uttar Pradesh government as it is putting in efforts to conserve water and ensure its better management in the region.

The Yogi Adityanath government said it is trying diligently to ensure optimal use of every drop of water in the region through various projects, including sprinkler irrigation and “Khet Talab Yojana”.

The Yogi government is planning to build about 10,000 farm ponds at the cost of Rs 100 crore in the financial year 2021-22, while it has already dug out 4400 such ponds at a cost of Rs 49.56 crore so far as part of the ‘Other Intervention’ component of its 'Per Drop More Crop' scheme. Most of these ponds have been constructed in Bundelkhand and Vindhya regions.

Along with geo-tagging of these ponds, 50 percent subsidy will be given to the farmers through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

Water saved in these ponds during the rainy season will be used for irrigation purposes and as drinking water for the cattle in the rest of the seasons.

In this context, the Yogi government is working on three sprinkler projects, including Masgaon Chilli (Hamirpur), Kulpahar (Mahoba) and Shahzad (Lalitpur) projects, as a model to irrigate more area with less water. The projects are likely to be completed this year. There is also a plan to connect other irrigation projects with sprinklers later.

Arjun Sahayak Canal Project, which is going to be completed this year, will facilitate irrigation of 44,381 hectares of land in Banda, Hamirpur and Mahoba, and make drinking water available to people.

The government said that around 20 million cubic meters of drinking water will be available to the people of Mahoba.

The state government said it has worked to realize Prime Minister Narendra Modi's slogans such as 'Per Drop, More Crop' and 'Water to Every Field’ in the last four years.