PUDUCHERRY: A four-member team of technical experts from the Central Water Commission (CWC) deputed by the Jal Shakti Ministry are in Puducherry for aiding the Puducherry government in preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for implementing the Rs 378.50 crore project for sustainable water management in Puducherry and Karaikal regions of the Union Territory.
Puducherry PWD minister K Lakshminarayanan said that the Puducherry government has sought central funding for the rehabilitation and restoration of water bodies to reduce the stress on water and improve its quality, thrown up by the growth of tourism and rapid urbanisation. He had sent a letter to the Jal Shakti ministry a year back for the construction of bed dams, strengthening river bunds and retaining walls, that would store water from monsoons, recharge the water table, and reduce the salinity of groundwater.
The Ministry responded by asking the government to submit a DPR, as per the guidelines of the CWC for techno-feasibility appraisal, he said.
However, after a year-long period of lull, the Ministry has now deputed the team to technically assist the government in preparation for the DPR after Lok Sabha member V Vaithilingam raised the issue in the Lok Sabha. The MP has urged upon the government to depute a team for the preparation of DPR for sustainable water management in the UT of Puducherry and to request that a team of technical experts be deputed for a site visit of the area affected, stated Rajesh Sharma, Under Secretary.
The information about the team's site visit should be forwarded to this Ministry at the earliest, he added.
The team, led by Director, CWC, Abhishek Sinha, visited various places after interacting with officials and MP Vaithilingam upon their arrival in Puducherry. They will be visiting various places in Karaikal region today before preparing a report on the management of floods and drought in Puducherry and Karaikal.