PAU Scientists visit Telangana to study water conservation

Tuesday 7th March 2023 at 3:26 PM

Visit is a follow-up of CM Bahgwant Mann’s visit to Telangana 

Ludhiana: 7th March 2023: (Kartika Singh//Punjab Screen)::

Underscoring the need to combat the challenge of depleting water resources in Punjab, a three-member team of scientists of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) is on a visit to Telangana to study various initiatives taken by the Telangana government for water conservation and irrigation water management. Scientists comprising Dr Manmohanjit Singh, Director, Regional Research Station, Ballowal Saunkhri; Dr Sanjay Satpute, Scientist, Soil and Water Engineering, and Dr Abrar Yousuf, Scientist, Soil and Water Engineering, Ballowal Saunkhri, PAU, are on a tour to Telangana under the directions and stewardship of Dr Satbir Singh Gosal, Vice-Chancellor, PAU. It is pertinent to mention that the visit is a follow-up of Chief Minister of Punjab Sardar Bahgwant Mann’s visit to Telangana and being coordinated by Dr HS Sidhu, Dean, College of Agriculture Engineering and Technology, PAU.

Mr Sridhar Rao Deshpande, Officer on Special Duty to Chief Minister of Telangana, welcomed the PAU delegation. The PAU scientists visited various locations of lift irrigation and renovated interlinked irrigation tanks developed by the Irrigation Department under Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project and Mission Kakatiya. Besides, the impact of these projects on groundwater recharge was also shown. The team was accompanied by Mr Hari Ram
, Chief Engineer; Dr Pandit, Director Groundwater Board and other officials of the Irrigation Department. The PAU team also visited Komati Cheruvu tank, Peddarayan Cheruvu tank, Pandavula Cheruvu tank, Oora Cheruvu tank, Check dams of Kudleruvagu and Kondapochamma Sagar in Siddipet district. Check dams in Nijalapur, Kommreddypally and other MI tanks in nearby areas of district Mahabubnagar were also shown.

Later, a special meeting was organized with Dr Rajat Kumar, Special Chief Secretary, Irrigation and CAD, Telangana; and Mr C Muralidhar, Engineer in Chief, Telangana regarding water conservation initiatives taken by the Telangana government and the possibility of replicating these initiatives in Punjab.

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Israeli Envoy Visits PAU to Review Work on Project

Tuesday: Aug 20, 2019, 5:19 PM

The project is aimed at improving soil fertility

Ludhiana: 20th August 2019: (Punjab Screen Bureau)::

Mr Dan Alluf, Counselor, Embassy of Israel, India, visited PAU today to discuss progress on a collaborative research project on brackish water, started in 2012.  Collaboration between PAU and MASHAV, Israel, the project is aimed at improving soil fertility and plant growth by desalinating brackish water (ground water surveys have shown that about 41% of the well waters are brackish) through installation of a desalination plant with capacity of 10,000 litres per hour , having  90% efficiency since April, 2015.

In his remarks, PAU Vice Chancellor, Dr B.S. Dhillon (Padam Shri awardee) highlighted the primary concern of improving the livelihood of farmers, while keeping water conservation as a prime target. He dwelled on the need for value chains to make farming profitable in the near future. Dr Dhillon called for exchange of scientists between the two countries to intensify further research on fruit and vegetable cultivation in brackish water.

Mr Alluf, while applauding the work done by PAU scientists, called for working in synergy to get maximum output from the project. Giving example of Israel’s agricultural success, despite being a desert, he laid out the road map for Indo-Israel value chain through post harvest management and marketing. While prioritizing water conservation, Mr Alluf discussed technology transfer in fertigation, irrigation, new Israeli varieties, plant protection and weed control, post harvest management, pollination and water re-use.

Project Head and Head, Department of Soil science, Dr O.P. Chaudhry informed that the project is using clean energy provided by solar photo voltaic cells of 60 KW installed at the site in Bathinda and as such dependency of the project on electricity is very low.

Giving further details, Dr Chaudhry informed that 66% of the fruits and 35-40% vegetables are grown in areas afflicted with brackish ground waters. He said that with the water table going down and farmers of the South western Punjab districts relying on good quality canal water for irrigation, it will be imminent in the near future to use marginal and brackish waters for irrigation/supplemental irrigation for fruit and vegetable production.

Additional Director of Research, Dr MIS Gill, and senior scientists of the University were present during the meeting.

AAP mania hits Ludhiana

 Sun, Apr 13, 2014 at 7:15 PM
“This was not a rally, it’s a revolution"-H S Phoolka
"This road show is the beginning to the end of corrupt politicians in Punjab.” 

Arvind Kejriwal in Ludhiana

Ludhiana, April 13, 2014: (Punjab Screen Bureau): 

Ludhiana’s AAP candidate for Lok Sabha, Mr. Phoolka and Mr. Arvind Kejriwal carried out an enormously successful road show through Ludhiana attended by nearly 2 lakh people. A sea of people came out to welcome Mr. Kejriwal. Supporters were seen thronging the streets to meet Mr. Kejriwal and Mr. Phoolka and at most places there was such a rush of people that the road show could barely move.

Arvind Kejriwal in Ludhiana

The road show went through 25 stops and at each stop there were seen hundreds and thousands of people. Not only they were volunteers and members present, but people were seen running out of their shops and homes to greet Kejriwal.

Mr. Kejriwal was very happy and smiling all through the road show meeting and shaking hands with people and accepting garlands of flowers and sarope. Some supporters at Ghumar Mandi were so happy to meet him that they got emotional and couldn’t control their tears.

Arvind Kejriwal in Ludhiana

The response of women and children was most overwhelming. Scores of children got on the bonnet of Mr. Kejriwal’s jeep to put garlands on him and get autographs and pictures clicked. A young woman at Basti Jodhewal ran to the jeep and said “Please save our nation!” The kafila behind Mr. Kejriwal’s jeep stretched to over 5 kms. and continued till the end of the road show, showing that these are dedicated and die hard supporters of the party.

Arvind Kejriwal in Sangrur

AAP’s H.S. Phoolka said “This is not a rally, it’s a revolution. The response in Ludhiana today shows that people want a change and are not afraid to go all out for it. This road show is the beginning to the end of corrupt politicians in Punjab.”

On 13^th April morning, Mr. Phoolka accompanied Mr. Kejriwal to Ahmadgarh for the road show there, where also there was enormous response to Mr. Harinder Khalsa. On 12^th April Gurdaspur had also seen its biggest rally. It is clear that Punjab has been swept by an “AAP” wave by the aam aadmi.