Dehradun: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday met with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and sought central funds worth Rs 1,774 crore for the Song Dam Drinking Water Project.
He said the Song dam project will solve the drinking water problems of Dehradun and adjoining areas. All necessary clearances like forest land transfer and other approvals have been received from the departments and ministries concerned, Dhami said, according to a press release.
The expenditure of Rs 247 crore for rehabilitation and resettlement of the families affected by the project will be borne by the state government, the chief minister added.
With the rise in population of Dehradun and its suburbs, the demand for drinking water is also increasing, Dhami told the Union minister. But the population has to depend heavily on tube wells for its drinking water which has led to a decline in the groundwater levels in recent years, he said. To be built on the Song river, a tributary of the Ganga, at a cost of Rs 2,021 crore, the Song Dam Drinking Water Project will fully take care of the drinking water needs of Dehradun and its suburbs, Dhami said.
After its construction, the dependence on tube wells for drinking water will almost end, he said, adding there will also be a huge reduction in maintenance-related expenditure.
The construction of the project will create a lake which will promote tourism in the area, generate employment and increase the income of local people, Dhami said.
Apart from this, about 15,000 population of 10 villages of Dehradun district will be provided protection from annual floods in the Song river due to the construction of the dam. —PTI
