Allahabad to get over 2000 new ponds

There is growing awareness about the need to recharge ground water during monsoon and therefore, officials of district administration and groundwater department in Allahabad have taken lessons from development agencies and other private units. Chief Development Officer (CDO), Allahabad, Sameul Paul N said that one or a couple of ponds are being dug in in each of over 2,000 villages of the district under MNREGA scheme. These ponds will be of great help to villagers as they will collect rain water. According to experts, a 100 sq mt structure can recharge around 80,000 liters of water in a year. Hence it is imperative for government and private buildings to have water harvesting system. A survey is being conducted to ascertain the number of buildings with rainwater harvesting system. Harvested rainwater can be initially stored in sub-surface ground water reservoirs and later diverted to storage tanks from where it can be used for household purposes. According to an expert at the groundwater department, rooftop rainwater harvesting helps to meet the demand for water and reduces the run-off that chokes storm water drains. Apart from reducing ground water pollution, rain water also improves the quality of water through dilution when recharged. Besides this, the system is not expensive.