Chandigarh, April 21 — Punjab’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has launched a major initiative to clean and restore 15,000 ponds (chappars) across the state’s 13,500 villages. The ambitious project, which has been allocated Rs 4,573 crore, aims to address longstanding concerns about the state of village ponds.
Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond shared details of the initiative, stating that a soft launch took place two weeks ago. “We have already dewatered and desilted 1,100 village ponds,” he said, adding that the project will be rolled out statewide once the wheat harvest concludes and the water from the ponds can be redirected to nearby fields.
The Punjab government plans to adopt successful models such as the Seechewal Model, Thapar Model, and the guidelines approved by the Punjab Pollution Control Board for cleaning and revitalizing the ponds. Sond explained that the cleaning process will involve multiple steps. “The ponds will first be dewatered, then desilted. A scientific method will be used to clean the water of impurities before it seeps back into the ground,” he explained. This will be done by filtering the water through separate chambers for collection, purification, and storage.
In cases where ponds have been dug too deep, additional resiltation will take place, Sond confirmed. He also emphasized that this project marks the first time any government in Punjab has undertaken such a comprehensive effort to clean village ponds, an issue that has plagued local residents for years. “For many years, villagers have been suffering due to overflowing and unclean ponds. No other government took this up, but we were pained to see their struggles and decided to take action,” Sond said.
This initiative not only promises to improve water management but also aims to significantly benefit the rural population by addressing longstanding environmental issues.
