'Jal Kranti' drive to dredge Vidisha lakes

Bhopal: Terming it as "Jal Kranti", state water resource department along with a social group, Watch League, students of Vatsalya Senior Secondary School and KML College management will be launching a campaign for dredging of lakes and ponds in the areas where they are source of water.
The campaign will start from Saunthia village in Vidisha district on Friday evening."We are starting with the efforts of villagers who will be helping us in dredging the lake along with students of Vatsalya which is supported by Vidisha collector MB Ojha. As the monsoon is approaching we have decided to choose as many water bodies in the areas where dredging can be done at the earliest," said Chandana C. Arora, convener of Watch League. "There will be hundreds of students and police personnel from Vidisha. We have also got the assurance from the district collector for availability of JCBs and other machines," she added.
Ramesh Sharma, member of Watch League, said, "The digging of lakes is a very simple process. Yet it gives very far-reaching long term environmental benefits. This is a tried and tested process, first carried out in Sagar district in the 90s with the support of citizens." The benefits include enhancement in storage capacity of lakes and other water bodies. Besides, the silt would be removed from the lakes, allowing more water to seep in. The dredging work of lakes will be taken forward in other areas as the target is of 100 ponds and lakes or water bodies across the state.