The State government would take up river rejuvenation initiatives in nine districts under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), said K.S. Eshwarappa, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.
The Art of Living Foundation would also join hands with the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj in the implementation of the project. In the first phase, the project would be implemented in Shivamogga, Chitradurga, Tumakuru, Ballari, Yadgir, Belagavi, Kodagu, Udupi, and Uttara Kannada districts, he said at a press conference here on Thursday.
Mr. Eshwarappa said that it has been planned to construct structures on the banks of rivers and their tributaries, including check-dams and percolation pits to avoid waterbodies from going complete dry during summer and to enhance the groundwater level in the vicinity.
In addition to this, afforestation activities would also be taken up in the vicinity of river banks by planting saplings of trees that are endemic to the region to avoid soil erosion, he said.
Replying to a query, he said that scientific action plans would be prepared on construction of structures for water percolation and harvesting after conducting detailed survey.
As the work would be implemented under MNREGA, activities related to community mobilisation for the work, creation of the database of the job cardholders and enlightening local people on the need to rejuvenate the rivers would also be held, he said.
He said that the work would be implemented on the banks of Tunga and Bhadra rivers in Shivamogga district. On March 14, the department has organised a district-level training programme at Kuvempu Rangamandir in the city in which presidents and Panchayat Development Officers of all gram panchayats here, the members of taluk panchayats and zilla panchayat would take part, he added.
K.M. Vaishali, CEO of Zilla Panchayat; G. Anuradha, Additional Deputy Commissioner, and K.B. Veerapur, Planning Director of Zilla Panchayat were present in the press conference.
