CHANDIGARH:Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar also said the unspent Rs 60 crore of Rs 100 crore budget of the Haryana Swarna Jayanti Celebrations Authority would be diverted to initiatives being taken to double farmer's income and conserve water.Khattar made the announcements at the 'National Seminar on Enhancing Efficacy of Usage of Water' in Kurukshetra on the occasion of 52nd Haryana Day. The event was organized by the irrigation department and Haryana Irrigation Research and Management Institute.Magsaysay award recipient and water conservationist Rajendra Singh praised the state government's feat of taking water to the tail end of state's southern parts and Masani Dam after 30 years, an official release said here.Former chief election commissioner S Y Quraishi also spoke at the event. Khattar said 50 to 60 small lakes would be developed in areas adjoining Delhi to help store and recharge groundwater to help the national capital meet its water demands.Delhi has a population of about 2.5 crore, which goes up 4 crore after adding the population of adjoining districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Noida, he said."Keeping all this in mind, it has been decided to develop 50 to 60 small lakes or water bodies in the areas adjoining Delhi so that the water stored could be utilized to meet the growing requirement," he said.The public health and engineering (PHE) department would tap the excess water flowing in villages and put the same into ponds, he said. Digging of ponds would be carried out every year, he said, adding that the water would be used for irrigation of 30 to 100 acres of land.

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