Irrigation facility is available on 100 acres of land through Ardan dam built in Bhauta
Construction of more than 400 groundwater augmentation-related structures in progress in Khari Nala
Raipur, 20 January 2023/ Under the ‘Suraji Goan Yojana’ being run by the state government, under the Narva development programme (Narva Vikas Karyakram), Ardan Dam has been constructed in ‘Khari Nala’ of Manendragarh Forest Division at a cost of about Rs 1 crore. This has resulted in an increase in the water level in the forest areas besides creating irrigation facilities on 100 acres of land. With the availability of the said facility, the ‘Khari Nala’ has now started proving to be beneficial for the farmers of remote forest regions.
It is worth mentioning that the dam thus constructed has a width of 210 meters and a height of 10 meters. Its catchment area is 55.00 hectares. About 40 families in the nearest villages have started benefiting directly from the construction of the said Ardan dam. Out of which total of 100 acres of land of 5 marginal and 35 small farmers will be irrigated and the water level will increase in the surrounding areas of villages and forest areas by the construction of water conservation structures. Construction of this water augmentation structure has also significantly increased the regeneration and density of forests, enabled drinking water supply, and created livelihood opportunities through fish farming. Gauthan built adjacent to Ardan Dam is proving beneficial for livestock.
It may be noted that under the guidance of Forest Minister Shri Mohammad Akbar, the construction of structures for groundwater augmentation in the forest region is being done at a faster pace under the CAMPA item. In this context, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief of Forest Force Shri Sanjay Shukla said that construction of 435 groundwater augmentation structures is currently in progress in the 15 km long Khari Nala located in Manendragarh Forest Division under Campa. Out of these, the construction of 385 groundwater augmentation structures has been completed at the cost of Rs 4.10 crore, which has been sanctioned under CAMPA’s Annual Action Plan 2021-22.
