The Ramgarh dam near Jaipur, which was once a lifeline for water supply to the Rajasthan Capital, is being surveyed for removal of encroachments and obstructions in its catchment area. The water body, situated 32 km away from here, has been dry since 2000, as numerous encroachments have halted the free flow of water to the dam.
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Water Resources Minister Suresh Singh Rawat said in the State Assembly on Monday that remote sensing and drones would be used for the survey, which would aim at restoration of water flow in the dam. The dense forest surrounding the Ramgarh lake and the nearby areas was earlier declared a wildlife sanctuary by the Union government in 1982.
The State government has constituted a district-level committee headed by the Jaipur Collector for continuous monitoring and supervision in the flow area and catchment area of the dam in compliance with a direction of the Rajasthan High Court. Mr. Rawat said the committee was monitoring the action for marking and removal of encroachments as per the rules.
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The Minister made the statement in the House in response to a call attention motion moved by Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Kalicharan Saraf during the Zero Hour. Mr. Saraf said the dam had dried up because of the influential people constructing resorts, farmhouses and permanent buildings in its flow area over the years.
Mr. Rawat said the water flow area of the Ramgarh dam was 3,610.80 hectares as per the revenue records, of which 2,679.88 hectares were under the jurisdiction of the Revenue Department and 930.92 hectares under the Jaipur Development Authority. Besides this, water also flows through private land at several places.
The Minister pointed out that obstructions and encroachments had been identified and removed on 323.30 hectares of land near the dam and the action would continue in future as well. The anicuts and check dams of more than 2-metre height have been demolished and their height has been limited to two metres, as per the High Court’s direction.
Mr. Rawat said a departmental committee was also examining the no objection certificates issued by the Water Resources Department to the Revenue Department, Jaipur Development Authority and other institutions during the last five years to check if they were released against the rules. A map of the dam’s present status will be prepared after the completion of survey and a detailed record drawn up on the catchment area, he said.
Erstwhile Jaipur ruler Sawai Ram Singh II had built the Ramgarh lake in 1876 to provide relief to the inhabitants of the region. It was the main source of water supply to Jaipur city at one time and was also a popular picnic spot during the rainy season. The rowing events of the 1982 Asian Games were held in Ramgarh lake.