Palanpur: Banas Dairy today began developing 111 ponds in Banaskantha district with work starting on the biggest lake in Odhva and Ranol villages of Dantewada taluka. Speaking on the occasion, Banas Dairy chairman Shankar Chowdhury appealed to the people to come forward and cooperate in the efforts to make the district green and water surplus.

As part of the plan to develop 111 ponds, Banas Dairy will either excavate existing ponds in several villages of the district or dig many new ones altogether. Ponds will be developed in 10 villages of Palanpur, 4 of Danta, 6 of Amirgadh, 6 of Vadgam, 23 of Dantewada, 9 of Deesa, 13 of Dhanera, 15 of Diyodar, 15 of Kankrej, and 5 of Tharad talukas.

Located on the edge of a desert, Banaskantha district has always been plagued by water scarcity. In many areas underground water levels have dropped so much that farmers find it difficult to irrigate their fields.

Aware of the acute shortage of water that the district was grappling with, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, during a visit to inaugurate the Banas Dairy in Diyodar, exhorted people to develop 75 lakes in the 75th year of Indian independence and fill them up with rain water. Banas Dairy has taken up the task of developing 111 Amrut (Nectar) ponds against the 75 the Prime Minister had envisioned.