July 6, 2019
Surplus DVC water to be collected in ponds dug under ‘Jal Dharo Jal Bharo’
Flooding of large areas due to the DVC releasing water has been the bane of Bangla. Despite requests from the State Government time and again, the DVC, a Central organisation, has refused to release water in a more considerate manner.
In an effort to counter this, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said in the Assembly on Tuesday, July 2, that the government would be digging more ponds to prevent floods in areas like Udaynarayanpur, Bagnan, Goghat, Khanakul and other places. She was answering a question during Question Hour.
While the first two places are located in Howrah district, the latter two are in Hooghly district. These two districts face the brunt of the DVC’s release of water.
The digging of ponds is generates income for many needy people under the 100 Days’ Work Scheme (formally known as the MGNREGA Scheme). These ponds are dug under the Jal Dharo Jal Bharo Scheme.
Against an initial target of 50,000 ponds, 3 lakh ponds have been dug in the State, as informed by the chief minister during the course of answering her question. Besides generating jobs, fishermen are also breeding fish in them.
The State Government has already distributed cheques worth a total of Rs 500 crore among the workers of 100-day jobs, informed Mamata Banerjee.
Source: The Statesman
