Una, September 10:- Once, the Beeth Area of Haroli even struggled for drinking water, while the shortage of water for agriculture was a major challenge for farmers here. Now, the same area is on the path to being connected with irrigation facilities on a large scale. A strong network is being developed to bring water to the fields through schemes of the Jal Shakti Department. Since December 12, 2022, 17 irrigation tubewells costing around Rs 14 crore have been completed and dedicated to the public in the Haroli Assembly constituency. These are providing irrigation facilities to 482 hectares, or 12,551 kanals, of land. With increased water availability in the coming time, crops are expected to flourish in these fields and farmers will have more reliable irrigation facilities for agriculture.
Taking forward the expansion of irrigation facilities, work on 32 irrigation tubewells is currently in progress in the Haroli area, with around Rs 31 crore being spent on them. Once completed, around 875 hectares of land will receive irrigation facilities. In addition, around Rs 13 crore is being spent on the modernization and upgradation of the command areas of 17 irrigation schemes, which will provide complete irrigation facilities to 850 hectares of land. These efforts will expand the scope of agriculture in Haroli and provide farmers an opportunity to make better use of their land.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, Irrigation Scheme Beeth Area Phase-2 is the most important link in this transformation. The scheme, with an estimated cost of around Rs 75 crore, is 75 percent complete, while the remaining work is targeted for completion by June 2027. Under the scheme, 9 wells will be constructed along the Swan River, and water will be pumped into a tank with a capacity of 11 lakh litres.
Thereafter, water will be supplied to Polian, Kungdhat, Palakwah and Jorian through four main pipelines having diameters of 600, 450 and 400 millimetres. From there, the distribution system will provide irrigation facilities to 1,874 hectares of land in 28 villages. After completion of the scheme, the fields of villages in and around the Beeth Area are expected to receive adequate irrigation water, giving new momentum to agricultural activities in the area.
Central assistance of Rs 97 crore has already been approved for the implementation of the MCAD scheme in the Haroli Block Cluster. Under this, old irrigation schemes are being upgraded. In addition, DPRs for five irrigation schemes with an estimated cost of Rs 128 crore have also been sent for approval. Of these, two DPRs have been proposed under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana and three under NABARD. Work on these schemes will begin as soon as approval is received.
Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said that the expansion of irrigation facilities in Haroli is not limited only to schemes and construction works, but is directly linked to strengthening farmers' income, agricultural production and the rural economy. He said that during the tenure of the present government, six irrigation schemes worth around Rs 215 crore in the Haroli Assembly constituency have either been completed or are under implementation, while five new irrigation schemes worth around Rs 128 crore have been proposed.
With the completion of these schemes, the irrigation coverage in Haroli will expand further, and a large area of agricultural land will be connected with irrigation water in the coming time. In the Beeth Area, once known for water shortage, a new hope has now emerged that crops will flourish in the fields.