Punjab to use treated water for irrigation: Minister

Punjab Cabinet minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer on Thursday said the government will ensure the use of treated water from sewage treatment plants (STPs), having a capacity of 2,600 MLD, for irrigation purposes to save the depleting groundwater.

Hayer, who also holds the Department of Environment, Science and Technology, visited the STP in Phagwara to review the method of using treated water for irrigation on more than 1,000 acres by farmers.

The water treated by the STP at Phagwara having a capacity of 28 million liters of water per day (MLD), is being used for irrigation on 1,000 acres by the farmers with the help of an 11-km-long pipeline laid by the Water Conservation Department.

With this method, nearly 7,500 million litres of underground water have been saved.

Hailing the efforts of the Punjab Pollution Control Board, the Sewerage Board, the Water Conservation and the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department, the minister asked them to work in unison for chalking out a comprehensive plan to use the treated water for irrigation on the lines of Phagwara which has also received the National Water Mission Award.

The minister also facilitated farmers of nearby villages who use the treated water through of this plant for irrigation.

Sharing their experiences, farmers Satnam Singh and Palwinder Singh said around 260 farmers nearby were using water from the plant for irrigation on 1,000 acres, which has not only saved underground water and electricity but also help in reducing the use of urea.