District Development Commissioner, Vikas Kundal today conducted spot inspection of Ujan Canal, the main water supply source for the Rajouri Township, to ascertain the reason for its low discharge leading to shortage of supply.
The inspection was conducted by the DC following complaints that the water from the power canal was being illegally used for irrigation purposes.Officers accompanying the DDC during the visit included Superintendent Engineer (SE) Hydraulics, JP Singh; ExEn Jal Shakti Rajouri, Mushtaq Ahmad and other concerned officers.
The SE informed that the total length of the power canal is 11.5 KM and it was the main source of the filtration plant at Dhani Dhar supplying drinking water to the Rajouri Township.He further said that there were reports that some villagers were using the water of the canal for the irrigation purpose which has created an acute shortage of water supply to the filtration plant.
"Moreover, there is a dry spell also and this use of drinking water of the canal for the irrigation purpose is adding to the sufferings of the people in Rajouri town as they are not getting adequate supply of water", the SE added.
To ascertain the ground reality, the DDC conducted a round of the canal for more than three kilometres on foot. He asked the concerned officer from the Jal Shakti Department to conduct videography of every stretch of the canal to locate from where the water was being used for irrigation purpose.
He also asked the concerned authorities to take appropriate measures to ensure adequate water supply to the general public by preventing the misuse of water of the canal.The DDC also instructed the Tehsildar to involve the PRIs of the area and ensure that water of the canal goes to the filtration plant without any leakage and not to the fields for irrigation purposes.