The Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday, December 26, announced that it would start 85 new projects in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Rural Development for harvesting, utilising rainwater for irrigational purposes.

The official statement issued on Saturday informed that the state government is planning to start 85 water harvesting projects in an area of 4.5 lakh hectare of overcrowded and drought-prone areas, including 31 rainfed districts, in 2021-22. It further stated that rainwater would be used for large-scale farming in Uttar Pradesh.

As per the official announcement, the state government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, is working to ensure the availability of drinking water in such areas.

The Prime Minister’s agricultural irrigation scheme and watershed scheme is being operated by the Ministry of Land Resources Development and Rural Development, Government of India, said the official statement

To ensure that the operation is carried out, a Watershed Cell Data Center (WCDC) at the district level and a water collection committee at the gram panchayat level have been formed.

As reported by The Indian Express, water harvesting structures will be constructed in villages under the Centre’s scheme to store rainwater.

Uttar Pradesh government claimed that from the financial year 2009-10 to 2018-19, additional irrigation capacity was developed in an area of 53,978 hectares by constructing over 21,000 water harvesting structures.

For the new projects that will take place in the state, the action plan for the upcoming financial year 2021-22 is ready.

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