Chamoli (Uttarakhand) [India], August 19 : An initiative was launched on Tuesday to deal with the challenge of the "water crisis" in Uttarakhand. In a programme organised at Vidhan Sabha Bhawan, Bhararisain, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Assembly Speaker Ritu Khanduri Bhushan launched the "Direct Injection Water Source Recharge Scheme" in collaboration with Swami Ram University, Jollygrant.
On this occasion, a photo collection titled Vibrant Bird of Kotdwar was also released.
Chief Minister said that the state government is committed to overcome the water crisis of the state by adopting technological innovations. This is a good effort in the field of water conservation.
Assembly Speaker said that water conservation is not only an environmental requirement, but is the future lifeline of Uttarakhand, a release said.
"Groundwater recharge will form the basis of future water security. This scheme will prove to be a milestone in the direction of sustainable water management and water conservation in Uttarakhand," the release said.
For the effective implementation of this project, an MoU was signed between the International Institute of Parliamentary Studies, Research and Training, Bhararisain and Swami Ram Himalayan University on July 8 2025.
Under the Direct Injection Water Source Recharge Scheme, the groundwater level will be increased by injecting treated rainwater into inactive hand pumps. This technology has been developed by experts from Swami Ram Himalayan University, Jollygrant, the release said.
In the first phase of the scheme, 20 selected hand pumps of summer capital Gairsain and Chaukhutia development blocks will be recharged and made functional again. This effort is being considered a milestone towards a permanent solution for water management in Uttarakhand, the release said.
The technical team of the university--Professor H P Uniyal, Nitesh Kaushik, Sujit Thapliyal, Rajkumar Verma, Atul Uniyal, Abhishek Uniyal and Shakti Bhatt gave a detailed presentation on the technical process of the scheme. He explained how this technology filters and treats rainwater and sends it directly to the groundwater reservoir, thereby reviving dry hand pumps.
During the programme, a documentary prepared by the university was also screened, which showed the technology implemented in the villages of Gairsain area and its results.