Jaipur: With groundwater levels deteriorating and the state largely dependent on surface water sources, the Rajasthan govt is planning to introduce a stringent new law to curb water theft and ensure equitable distribution to authorised consumers, Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) minister Kanhaiya Lal Choudhary said Wednesday.“Rajasthan solely depends on surface water source. The condition of the groundwater is not good. At this condition the state govt is planning to implement major projects like Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) and Yamuna Water Project. It is very important to check water theft. Soon, we are going to implement new sets of stringent laws to address such issues,” Choudhary said while addressing a presser. The PHED minister, along with Water Resources Department (WRD) minister Suresh Rawat, was speaking at the PHED headquarters, Jal Bhawan, where the two ministers outlined the achievements of the water sector during the two years of the present BJP govt. Speaking on major projects, Rawat said the state government had issued work orders worth Rs 9,400 crore for the first phase of the ERCP and construction work was already in progress. He added that survey work for the Ram Jal Setu Link Project had also begun, with work orders amounting to Rs 14,676 crore. “These works will ensure drinking water availability in eastern Rajasthan. The revised Parvati-Kalisindh-Chambal Link Project (new name for ERCP) will irrigate 4 lakh hectares of land and provide drinking water to approximately 3 crore people in 17 districts,” Rawat said.
