Jalgaon Zilla Parishad to audit 3,885 irrigation works as drought hits district

Rain has failed Jalgaon district this year because of the effects of El Nino, making the questions of farming and irrigation serious. In view of the drought, the Zilla Parishad administration has moved to increase water availability and strengthen the irrigation system.

A physical audit will be carried out of the 3,885 works done in the district so far. A detailed project report (DPR) will be prepared for the repairs and improvements that the audit finds necessary.

Karishma Nair, Chief Executive Officer of the Zilla Parishad, said the report will be sent to the District Planning Board for approval. She said the plan is to complete irrigation works quickly to tackle the drought, and that they are being run on a mission mode.

Because of the deficient rain, the government has declared drought in all talukas of the district. Rather than take up only new works, the Zilla Parishad is focusing on checking how much benefit the earlier works are actually delivering. This is why the 3,885 works will undergo a physical audit.

The DPR will be prepared after the audit, and only then will it be clear how many works need repair and how much funding that will require. How quickly the process from inspection to approval is completed will therefore determine how effective the measures prove.

A detailed DPR will be prepared for the necessary works that emerge from the inspection. The proposal will then be sent to the District Planning Board for approval. Once approval is granted, the way is expected to open for starting these works. This should lead to better use of existing works, with the focus on removing gaps in the irrigation system.

Nair said the district is under the shadow of drought this year. Some talukas will face severe water scarcity. Irrigation works will therefore be carried out on a mission mode. After the works done so far are audited, the DPR will be submitted to the District Collector.

The pause in rain has deepened the crisis for farming. In these conditions, it will be important to make proper use of available water, improve irrigation facilities and speed up water storage works. With this in view, the Zilla Parishad has planned to complete irrigation works soon. This gives priority to planning the works needed to tackle the drought, checking the actual condition and raising funds for improvements.