Rawat favours small dams to solve drinking water problem

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat has directed the authorities to expedite irrigation and flood-control projects on the banks of rivers in the state.

The chief minister asked them to complete the projects by January 2015.

Rawat also favoured construction of small dams along the rivers to address drinking water problem in several parts of the state. He also underlined the need to develop river fronts and creation of small water bodies instead of big ones in hill areas.

Rawat said if small dams were built at one or two places near Saraikhet on Lakhora river of Almora, drinking water problem of many places in Kumaon and Garhwal regions could be solved.

Small check dams are being built on the rivers by the forest department.

The irrigation department has already been provided with the funds that it needed to take up the tasks assigned to it and hence it should lose no further time to commence work on the projects and ensure timely utilisation of the funds, the chief minister said.

He was presiding over a meeting on Wednesday to review the progress of irrigation and flood control projects. Ordering completion of the flood control projects by January, Rawat said it will help the PWD take up road repair and reconstruction work in early 2015.