Himachal Governor’s help sought in resolving water-lifting issue in Bilaspur district

Tribune News Service

Dipender Manta

Mandi, February 18

Himalaya Niti Abhiyan (HNA), an NGO working on environmental problems, has sought the Governor’s intervention in resolving water lifting issue of Ali Khud in Bilaspur district.

Guman Singh, coordinator of HNA, wrote to Shiv Pratap Shukla in this regard. He said, “The residents of Bilaspur district have been protesting for 26 days against the Adani cement plant sponsored water lifting scheme from Ali Khud (rivulet) at Triveni Ghat area, along the border of Bilaspur and Solan districts. This rivulet flows downward from Arki constituency of Solan district and feeds four constituencies of Bilaspur district.”

“Below the site, from where water is being lifted in Bilaspur district, there are 24 lift and gravity drinking water schemes, seven lift irrigation schemes, local kuhls (traditional irrigation structures), gharat (traditional water mill) and fish hatchery plants of the government. All of these schemes meet water requirements of more than 50,000 people,” he added.

“Earlier, this scheme was proposed by former owner of Gujarat Ambuja Cement company in 1992. It was rejected by the then Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh’s government due to objection raised by the downstream local community,” said Guman Singh.

“The same scheme was re-proposed in 2019-20 and 2022 by the new owner of the cement plant for meeting the water requirements of the plant and mining area situated at Darlaghat, near the disputed site. After the opposition by the local community, the previous BJP government verbally ordered to stop the construction of the scheme, but work was going on for building storage tanks and laying of pipelines,” he remarked.

“After completion of construction of storage tanks and laying of pipelines, headwork was being started at the Triveni Ghat site, which irked the local residents. The water discharge of this rivulet is less than the present water needs of downstream. In summers, it dries up affecting the connected drinking water schemes. In such a situation, the administration supplies drinking water to the people through tanks. Hence, lifting water for other purposes by denying present consumers was not justified,” he said.

“Water needs of the cement plant and people from the mining-affected communities can be met by lifting water from the Sutlej River (Kol Dam). The FIRs filed against protesters shall also be withdrawn immediately,” he demanded.

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