Chandigarh, Jan 18 : With Haryana taking significant steps towards water conservation and reducing the gap between availability and demand through its Biennial Water Action Plan, positive results have started showing. The Biennial Water Action Plan 2023-2025 that set the goal to conserve 260,498 crore liters of water by December 2023, has successfully achieved 95 per cent of its target by saving 248,702 crore liters. This information was shared at a meeting of the Haryana Water Resources Authority chaired by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar here on Thursday. At the meeting, the Chief Minister directed officers to prioritise the implementation of groundwater recharging plans in villages where the groundwater level is critically low and also in areas which saw waterlogging recently. He emphasised the need for swift action to meet the targeted water savings by March this year. Khattar said there are areas in the state facing waterlogging issues even though they have significantly low groundwater levels. 'Excessive use of chemical fertilisers is a major cause, leading to the compaction of soil layers and clay formation, hindering water infiltration into the ground. Scientific studies should be conducted to address groundwater recharging in these areas,' he said. 'Each district should map short-term plans and ensure their effective implementation. Verification mechanisms should be established at the district and block levels, and senior officers should be assigned to ensure accurate data reporting,' he said. The Chief Minister also directed the officers to identify around 200 villages where the groundwater level has fallen below 100 metres. The Agriculture Department should encourage farmers in these villages to adopt micro-irrigation techniques, he said. Khattar directed that feeder should be marked in areas where the groundwater level has reached up to 30 metres, and 100 per cent solar energy-driven pumps should be installed for irrigation purposes. At the meeting, Chairperson of the Haryana Water Resources Authority, Keshni Anand Arora, said they have developed in-house online software for granting no-objection certificates for extraction of groundwater to industry, mining, and infrastructure and commercial entities. Till date it has granted permission to 3,022 applicants with the condition of ensuring water conservation and recharge of groundwater through rainwater harvesting and optimum use of treated wastewater for non-potable use. It has generated Rs 142.80 crore as tariff and application fee. She said during 2022-23 HWRA has funded Rs 65.01 crore for water conservation projects to the Irrigation and Water Resources Department. She said under the biennial water action plan initiatives include direct seeding of rice using the direct seeded rice (DSR) technique in 2,45,493 acres, crop diversification in 2,44,464 acres, and the construction of 26 water reservoirs for floodwater conservation. /IANS