Punjab: Process of notifying water bodies begins

Punjab: To mark the area under natural water bodies in the state, the government has started the process of notifying all rivers, streams and drains under the Punjab Canal and Drainage Act, 2023. All illegally occupied areas will be freed from encroachment after the process is completed. A senior official of the Water Resources Department said that the government has started the process by taking over the drains first. Out of a total of 935 drains in the state, 514 drains have been notified. Showing the ground status of encroachment at various places across the state, Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Bishweswar Tudu had informed the Lok Sabha in July 2023 that “according to a recent survey, there are 16,012 water bodies in Punjab, out of which 1,578 have been encroached at various places”. The data was based on a field census of water bodies, which was conducted for the first time at the national level in 2019. Published in March 2023, data indicated that at least 10 per cent of water bodies in the state were affected by encroachment. This was the highest figure in the region. “Once the process is complete, we will launch a programme to clear the encroached places and take back their possession,” said another senior official of the Water Resources Department. “We have launched a technology-backed project involving Geographic Information System (GIS). Instead of private agencies, we are preparing digital maps using our department’s field staff to identify specific areas that will be made encroachment-free,” he added. The fact cannot be denied that chosas are disappearing in many places in the state. Illegal residential colonies have come up on the natural path of water flow. Photos highlighting this problem usually grab people’s attention during floods when many constructions coming in the way of chosas and drains are washed away.