13 Dec : State Government would welcome innovative ideas to popularise rainwater harvesting by the people in the State. This was disclosed by Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, while interacting with the young teachers, Shri Surjeet Thakur Lecturer Physics and Shri Harish Chaudhary, Lecturer Chemistry, Government Senior Secondary School, Dada Siba in district Kangra, who had invented a model for adoption by people in general to harvest rain water and use the same for consumption and non-consumption activities and exhibited the same at Circuit House, at Dharamshala today. He said that the State was open to any innovative ideas, which were in the best interest of the people.
Chief Minister said that rain water harvesting had emerged the need of the hour keeping in view reducing ground water reserves and drying up of natural sources. He said that uncertain weather conditions and change in the season cycle had resulted into water scarcity and a number of drinking water and irrigation schemes had been remodelled to feed the supplies. He said that since the demand for safe drinking water was on the increase as the State Government was committed to provide adequate drinking water to every household. He said that the endeavour would achieve its objective only if every drop of the water was saved. He said that rainwater harvesting was the only option left with the people to meet their water requirements. He said that the State Government had formulated various programmes aimed at motivating people to create rainwater-harvesting infrastructures in their house construction plans so that the potable water was utilised only for drinking purposes.
Prof. Dhumal said that the State Government had made it mandatory for all the government buildings and commercial establishments to incorporate rainwater harvesting provisions into their building plans and after treatment utilise the same for non-consumption activities. He said that with the change in life style of the people water and electricity requirements had also increased substantially for which additional potential was required to be harnessed. He said that besides educating people about the value of water for the survival of all living beings precautionary steps are also required to save every drop of water. He said that mass awareness campaigns had been launched by the State Government at all level besides organising workshops and seminars to achieve the objective. He said that unless the entire society was made aware of the forthcoming likely challenges expected to be faced by the people the situation might worsen further in coming years.
Chief Minister said that the State Government had constituted a separate Water Management Board recently to formulate policies and programmes to save water and adopt alternate modes for optimum utilisation of the water available. He said that instead of flood irrigation the State Government would be motivating farmers to go for drip and sprinkler irrigation facilities so that more area was irrigated with the available irrigation potential. He said that such irrigation schemes were in practice in a number of advanced countries and the farmers were reaping benefits out of the bumper crops. He said that he had visited Israel recently to study the emerging drip and sprinkler irrigation trends in the farm sector, which had revolutionized the economy of the farmers. He said that the State Government had also undertaken the study of such innovative schemes for replication in the State. He said that farmers of the State were progressive by nature and open to new ideas to modernize their agriculture and horticulture activities. He hoped that the new techniques would also be accepted by the farmers of the State overwhelmingly and revolutionise their economy.
Shri Kishan Kapoor, Industries Minister, Shri R.S.Gupta, Deputy Commissioner, Dr. Atul Fulzele, Superintendent of Police and other senior officers were also present on the occasion.