april 25

April 25 - The Haryana Government will restore the Bibipur Lake in district Kurukshetra in a phased manner with a view to optimum use of surplus rain water, recharging of ground water and utilise
the saved water in additional area of Western Yamuna Canal Command. This decision was taken in a meeting of the Irrigation Department held under the chairmanship of the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr. Bhupinder Singh Hooda here today. Among others, who attended the meeting included the Haryana Irrigation Minister, Capt. Ajay
Singh Yadav, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Irrigation, Mr. N. Bala Bhaskar and senior officers of the Irrigation Department . The Chief Minister said that during the first phase a sum of Rs. 19.96 crore would be spent and farmers of about 100 villages would be benefitted by the restoration of the lake besides providing irrigation facilities to 50450 acres of land. He directed the officers of the Irrigation Department to chalk out a compact plan of water bodies prevailing in the State including Bhindawas Lake, Kotla Lake and Masani Barrage etc so that maximum rain water going waste could be harvested. The Chief Minister said that with the restoration of the lake, the land would be recharged. He said that it would also reduce the power consumption also. The Chief Minister said that in the II phase of the Bibipur Lake the level of the lake would be raised to 822 ft at a cost of Rs. 77.30 crore . He said that besides using the surplus rain water which was otherwise going waste, the renovation of the lake would help in flood protection scheme, groundwater recharging, use of saving water in aditional area of West Jamuna Canal Command and irrigate the area during kharif. Mr. Hooda informed that he would soon meet the Chairman of NABARD in the next month at Mumbai to seek the financial assistance for the ongoing and new
irrigation projects. While giving the details of the restoration of the Bibipur lake project , the Irrigation Minister, Capt.
Ajay Singh Yadav said that this lake was a traditional natural body and it would tap flood waters of river Tangri, Markanda, SYL Canal and Bhakra through Narwana Branch and Saraswati Crack. He said that it would also help in raising the sub soil water level of the area. He said that the Government of India had decided
that the water bodies directly linked with the agriculture should be restored throughout the country. As per this policy, it has been decided to take up the restoration of the Bibipur Lake in a
phased manner. The work on the Bibipur lake was being taken up on priority basis as this lake was ideally located and known as the gold mine of rain water harvesting, said the Minister. Capt. Yadav said that the lake is spread over an area of 5000 acres and having a storage capacity of 24800 acres feet. He said that the lake was located in eleven villages namely Bibipur, Murtazapur, Bhor, Takoran, Gari Roran, Mukimpura, Indwari, Surmi, Chhalloan, Shamspur and Mundakhera . After renovation, if the lake was filled up to rain level of 816 ft, it will provide 280 cusecs of irrigation water for 75 days which was adequate to mature the rice crop of the area, the Minister added. The Engineer-in-Chief, Mr.J.S.Ahlawat apprised the Chief Minister that efforts were being made to restore Bhindawas Lake in Jhajjar district also and it would be made fit to store rain water during the ensuing monsoon season.