Chandigarh, May 12 – Haryana Chief Minister Sh Nayab Singh Saini today reviewed ongoing short-term projects across the state in preparation for the upcoming monsoon season. He directed concerned officials to complete all essential work on a priority basis before the monsoon. Any kind of negligence in this regard will not be tolerated.
While chairing a meeting with officials from the Irrigation and Water Resources, Public Health Engineering and Urban Local Bodies departments, the Chief Minister directed that all the drains and minors in the state should be cleaned immediately to prevent waterlogging and potential flood situations during the rainy season.
He instructed officials to strengthen riverbeds by desilting the Saraswati, Markanda and Tangri rivers to maintain the natural flow of water. He also directed the officials to ensure the immediate removal of water hyacinth from drains and other water channels to prevent any obstruction to the flow of water. In addition, all the dams in the state should be inspected in advance and if any deficiency or damage is found anywhere, it should be repaired promptly, he added.
The Chief Minister stressed that all short-term projects must be executed on a war footing ahead of the monsoon. He also directed that details of the works being undertaken by the Irrigation and Water Resources and Public Health Engineering departments should be shared with local public representatives and the respective Deputy Commissioners.
While reviewing the condition of khaals (water channels), the Chief Minister instructed officials to compile a list of all khaals over 20 years old, so that an action plan can be developed for their cleaning and repair.
Yamuna to be made pollution-free
The Chief Minister, while issuing special directives to keep the Yamuna River free from pollution, said that no untreated or contaminated water should be discharged into it. He said that in areas where industrial waste is currently flowing into the river, the establishment of Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) must be ensured without delay. He also instructed officials to prepare comprehensive proposals for CETP projects in the concerned cities.
He further said that a separate system be developed to utilize the treated water from CETPs for irrigation purposes, thereby promoting sustainable water management.
In addition, the Chief Minister instructed the departments concerned to ensure the cleaning and strengthening of all water harvesting and groundwater recharge structures before the onset of the monsoon. These efforts aim to maximize rainwater storage and contribute to groundwater level improvement.
During the meeting, officials informed the Chief Minister that the Haryana State Drought Relief and Flood Control Board had approved 209 short-term projects worth Rs 282 crore. Of these, work is currently underway on 103 projects, while the remaining are in various stages of approval. It was also informed that the cleaning of all drains in the state will be completed by June 30.
Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi, Chief Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Rajesh Khullar, Commissioner and Secretary Urban Local Bodies Department Vikas Gupta and Commissioner and Secretary Public Health Engineering Department Mohammad Shayin along with other senior officers were present in the meeting.
