Srinagar, Mar 12: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has been informed that 11 Decentralised Waste Water Treatment Systems (DEWATS) have been proposed across various districts in the Jammu Division to combat river pollution, particularly the greywater discharge from households. The proposal was outlined by the Jal Shakti Department in response to a starred question raised by MLA Dr. Devinder Kumar Manyal in the Legislative Assembly. Dr. Manyal had inquired about the government’s efforts to address pollution, de-silting, and other environmental concerns affecting the Chenab and Ravi Rivers.
In his response, the Minister for Jal Shakti informed the Assembly that several initiatives have been launched to mitigate pollution and improve the ecological health of the region’s rivers.
“To address pollution caused by greywater discharge from households, 11 Decentralized Waste Water Treatment Systems (DEWATS) have been proposed across various districts of the Jammu Division through the Rural Development Department,” the Minister’s reply stated. Furthermore, four of these DEWATS projects have already been initiated.
The DEWATS are specifically designed to alleviate pollution concerns and contribute to the health of the rivers, with the primary aim of curbing the impact of untreated household wastewater. However, the Minister clarified that the Jal Shakti Department does not engage in de-silting operations for the rivers.
In response to a separate query about canal rejuvenation in the Ramgarh Constituency, the Minis-ter provided details on the status of the D-9 canal. The canal stretch from RD 32,000 meters to 36,600 meters, covering 4.5 kilometers and serving 1,259 acres of irrigated land, falls under the Ramgarh Constituency. While the overall condition of the canal remains good, approximately 1 km at certain locations requires improvement. These repairs will be included in the UT Capex 2025-26 project shelf, the Minister confirmed.
Further updates were shared regarding irrigation and water resource management projects planned for the Ramgarh Constituency. A Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the “Improvement and Strengthening of the Main Ravi Canal and its Distribution Network” has been prepared, with an estimated cost of Rs. 571.83 crore. The DPR, which includes the canal network serving Ram-garh, has been submitted to the Central Water Commission (CWC) for appraisal.
On the timeline for these canal rejuvenation projects and their anticipated benefits for agriculture and local communities, the Minister stated: “The ‘Improvement of Ravi Canal and its Distributar-ies’ project is expected to be completed within two years from the date of sanction. Once imple-mented, the project will enhance irrigation potential across 8,861 hectares in the Ramgarh Con-stituency. Additional improvement works are also underway under the UT Capex Budget, sub-ject to the availability of funds.”
