PPCB to improve water quality of village ponds

Aman Sood 

Tribune News Service

Patiala, February 25

The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has decided to go ahead with the Seechewal model to improve the water quality of village ponds in Punjab so as to use it for irrigation purposes in the villages. The board has decided to adopt two 

villages in each block 

and develop these on noted environmentalist, Balbir Singh “Seechewal” model.

KS Pannu, chairman of the board, said the board was receiving regular complaints regarding the pollution of village ponds and their disposal. Therefore, the board decided to act on it.

“The polluted water of these ponds in turn is polluting the ground water and also leading to various ailments,” he said.

Pannu said the Seechewal model is a simple, but scientific model to treat the village domestic effluent to make it fit for irrigation and is a low-cost design. The board has decided to implement this design with the help of the Department of Rural Development and Panchayats at the villages where panchayats have funds at their disposal.

The lists of such panchayats have already been prepared and the ponds will be developed with the inputs from Baba Seechewal and under the control of the PPCB so as to use the treated water for irrigation purposes.

Pannu said these two villages in each block where this treatment facility will be developed would act as a role model for other villages of the area and would also be the source of income of panchayats.