Administration initiates steps to restore water bodies in Bhagalpur

BHAGALPUR: In a bid to tackle groundwater crisis in Bhagalpur, the district administration and the fisheries department have initiated steps for restoration of ponds and water reservoirs in the district. According to officials, the motive behind restoration of ponds and water bodies is recharging the groundwater resources through rainwater harvesting and boosting fish cultivation in the region.
Apart from restoration of ponds and water reservoirs, the district administration has also decided to introduce rainwater harvesting system in all government buildings in the district.
Bhagalpur DM Pranav Kumar said measures to restore ponds and water reservoirs would be initiated soon. “The list of ponds and water reservoirs is being prepared. They will be restored after the monsoon. We are also taking steps to introduce rainwater harvesting system in all government buildings in the district to tackle the depleting groundwater level,” the DM said.
District fisheries officer Sanjay Kumar Kishku said steps were also being taken to promote pisciculture by restoring the old ponds and construction new ones.
Sources said work on repair, renovation and restoration of water bodies, in accordance to the reports of Lok Sabha Standing Committee, will be made through Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
Officials said the steps were taken following the state government’s directives to replenish groundwater level through removal of encroachments from water bodies and their restoration.
The state government had issued the directives after Bihar State Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA) raised an alarm regarding fall in groundwater level by 10-12 feet across the state due to delayed monsoon and improper management.
The district administration and the fisheries department initiated survey of ponds and water reservoirs. Altogether 1,500 ponds (both government and private) besides water reservoirs have been identified in the district so far, sources said, adding the status of 818 ponds has already been submitted to the state government.