Minister allays water crisis fears

GORAKHPUR : Allaying fears of a water crisis in the country, Union Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, on Monday said that steps were being taken to recharge underground water in dried up zones and the result would visible in the next five years. “We need not to worry when we have a PM like Modi. Currently, of a total 6,800 blocks in the country, 1,500 in 256 districts have either dried up completely or are near dry. These are identified as dark zones. On being instructed by the PM who raised the issue of water conservation in his monthly radio address Man ki Bat on June 30, we are working on a plan to recharge the underground water, with immediate focus on dark zones.

“Using high technology 3D thermal cameras, capable of examining 300 meters deep in the ground, we will first conduct a study before rolling out a plan to recharge underground water. In the next five years, blocks other then these will be examined to see if any action is required. We will certainly move from dark zone to safe zone in next couple of years,” the minister said, speaking as

chief guest during a programme organised at the Gorakhnath Temple to mark the death anniversaries of temple’s former head priests Mahant Digvijaynath and Mahant Avaidynath,

He welcomed the move by the UP Government in the direction of water conservation and suggested that state governments should encourage farmers to grow crops that require less water and use irrigation technologies that check water wastage.