At a time when neighbouring Maharshtra is struggling to come to terms with drought, the Opposition in Chhattisgarh has taken up the issue of wasteful use of water to keep the grass green at the Virnarayan Singh Stadium in Naya Raipur, which would host its first-ever IPL match on April 28 when Delhi Daredevils takes on Pune Warriors.
More than 1.5 lakh litres of water are being used daily to keep the grass and pitch green at the stadium. The city of Raipur, with a population of 20 lakh, requires between seven to 10 lakh litres of water daily for domestic consumption and a major share of it is being ‘wasted’ on keeping the ground green for two matches in the peak summer season.
The Congress leaders have already made an issue of it. “When Wankhede stadium can cut down on its water intake, why cant we? It’s not as if Raipur is water-surplus. It’s mid-summer and we still have two months to go before rains come,” said PCC president Nand Kumar Patel.
State’s Chief Secretary Sunil Kumar, who is personally supervising the preparations, however, dismissed the apprehensions. He said proper arrangements for water intake have been made by drilling seven more sump wells.