Survey conducted to use wastewater at abandoned mines for irrigation

Central Chronicle News
Bhilai, Jul 11: Surveys have been initiated to check the prospect of using wastewater from the abandoned mines for irrigation. The survey is being conducted on the instructions of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel who asked the officers to consider the possibilities of irrigation from such wastewater ponds to increase the irrigation facility in the district.
On Saturday Collector Dr Sarveshwar Narendra Bhure reached Patan Block and inspected the ponds in Selud. He was accompanied by Zilla Panchayat CEO Sachchidanand Aalok, SDM Vipul Gupta, CEO Manish Sahu, officers of Water Resources Department and officials of CREDA. Mining for minerals result in build-up of water and once the mines is abandoned the water is left to waste. The same unused water can be potentially utilized for irrigation.
It is for this reason that the ponds at the closed mines are being surveyed and if activities like fish farming are not taking place in them, then a plan will be prepared for their proper use, instructed the Collector to the officials who accompanied him.
He added that solar irrigation pumps can be used and provided to farmers through CREDA, which can help farmers take perennial crops in their fields through grants. Officials said that these ponds are filled with water throughout the year. Also, there is a possibility of connecting them to the canal.
The Collector said that a separate project would have to be made for irrigation in each pond, which would be done by looking at the downstream and other technical aspects.
Also, farmers in the nearby locality and who have farms nearby to these ponds can be and contacted and advised to take advantage of improved farming through solar pumps.
Zilla Panchayat CEO Sachchidanand Aalok informed that preliminary survey of all the ponds has been done. People are doing fish farming in some such unusable ponds. Therefore, the plans for irrigation can be made in the remaining ponds.