Minister to also inspect Renuka dam project (Times of India 28 March 2011)

NEW DELHI: Environment minister Jairam Ramesh has promised the Delhi government that he will personally inspect the Renuka Dam site in Haryana in the next couple of weeks. The project is on hold after forest clearance was denied to it as a large number of trees would have to be felled.

"I will visit the Renuka dam site in the next couple of weeks. There is a lot of local opposition to it even though it has been granted environment clearance," said Ramesh.

Official estimates peg the total number of trees that would face the axe to make way for project at 1.67 lakh though sources say that only about 9,000 are fully grown and the rest are small. Delhi has been banking heavily on the project to meet the future water demand.

The minister said it was criminal for a state like Delhi that was losing 50% of its water, 30% as technical losses and the remaining though thefts and non-metered connections, to bank only on outside sources. "Losses have to be brought down substantially. I have also asked the Delhi government to consider rainwater harvesting in the river. The monsoon of 2010 was a lost opportunity as Delhi failed to tap any of the excess water it had received. I had even written to the Delhi chief minister to take action but nothing was done," said Ramesh.

According to the water sharing agreement between the northern states, a minimum flow of 10 cumecs needs to be maintained in the river. The chief ministers of Delhi and Haryana have asked for setting up of a barrage at Palla, as for six months of the year the river is dry and the excess water during other months flows directly into the Yamuna. "The proposal has been brought to me but it would have to be considered by the ministry of water resources. Delhi cannot bank only on dams and needs to look seriously at large scale water harvesting," said Ramesh.

The minister also asked the two states to work actively at resolving the Munak canal issue. Sources said that the group of ministers would be meeting on the issue, and if water sharing between the two is agreed upon, the channel can be made fully functional by 2011-end. It will take another six months to finish the construction work.