SANJAY PANDEY: Palamu’s Member of Parliament, B.D. Ram, announced a significant step towards ensuring drinking water reaches the residents of Palamu district. After five years of persistent efforts, the groundwork for the Palamu Pipeline Irrigation Scheme, costing ₹456.6261 crore, has begun. This initiative aims to provide drinking and irrigation water through underground pipelines from various reservoirs and water bodies in Palamu.
Palamu district has been notably affected by the monsoon shadow region of Jharkhand, with an average annual rainfall of 1163 mm. Despite numerous initiatives by the Water Resources Department since the unified Bihar era, the schemes failed to provide adequate water storage due to scanty rainfall. Consequently, these projects suffered from reduced irrigation capabilities.
The rising demand for water, driven by population growth and developmental activities in these areas, necessitated the exploration of new possibilities. Noteworthy rivers like Son, North Koel, and Auranga, which have been underutilized in Jharkhand, will now be tapped. Excess water, which otherwise flows away during the rainy season, will be lifted through the pipeline to refill reservoirs in drought-prone areas of Palamu.
The proposed plan involves lifting 31.397 million cubic meters of water from these rivers, with 1.926 million cubic meters allocated for drinking purposes. Regions set to benefit from this initiative include Chainpur, Medininagar, Satbarwa, Vishrampur, Husainabad, Haidernagar, and Mohammadganj.
The project is slated to commence in the financial year 2023-24, with an ambitious goal to complete it within two years. The announcement saw the presence of local BJP leaders, including district president Vijayanand Pathak, Somesh Singh, Shiv Mishra, and Vijay Ojha.
