MP first to use hi-tech system to flag ideal spots for ponds & wells

Time of India

19-06-2025

Bhopal: Setting an example of how technology can change lives, Madhya Pradesh has become the only state to use AI, real-time data analytics and integrated satellite and mapping tools to select locations to construct waterbodies under Jal Ganga Samvardhan Abhiyan — a drive under MNREGS to build waterbodies for groundwater recharge.
With these scientific technological interventions, the chances of waterbodies remaining dry become negligible, said officials, adding that it will not only improve groundwater levels but also bring prosperity to rural areas. The MP initiative has been appreciated by Union govt and several states have approached MP to understand the working of these systems, they added.
MP is also the first state to integrate MNREGS works with these advanced scientific tools.
Ponds and wells often remained dry as they were not dug in ideal spots, lacked correct slopes, or natural water recharges, pointed out officials. Now, these approvals are linked to the Software For Identification and Planning Of Rural Infrastructure (SIPRI) — which has all topographical data, mapped to the level of khasra numbers in each village.
It is only after the spot selected for the waterbody is vetted by SIPRI that work goes ahead.
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All this is integrated into the system to ensure seamless and timely evaluation, with just a few clicks.
Explaining the system, an official said that once a site for a pond or well is proposed, the khasra number is entered into the system and SIPRI determines if it will be feasible. Parameters like slope, natural water recharges, and other topographical features are shown by the software. It is only after all the parameters check out that the approval process can be further extended.
SIPRI uses hundreds of sources, including revenue records, GPS, satellite images, drone surveys, a large number of govt organisations, and even private satellite imagery and data providers, to ensure real-time data. The software even analyses scientific features like lineament — a linear feature on the earth's surface, such as a fault — which are normally not identifiable, and their presence leads to ponds drying up.
So far, under Jal Ganga Samvardhan, more than 81,000 farm ponds, 1,200 Amrit Sarovar ponds, and more than 1 lakh wells have been approved. All these have been approved after checking each and every topographical feature in the least possible time.
"It's a question of millions and millions of litres of water, and it's related to the lives of crores of rural people. Normally, farmers who do not have access to irrigation water opt for ponds or lakes.
If these lakes are functional, it will bring about changes not only in the groundwater levels but also in farm output. Thus, it will have multiple benefits, environmentally as well as in uplifting the living conditions of the people," MNREGS commissioner Avi Prasad told TOI.
"We worked for several months on these technological interventions, and it has been developed inhouse. Data from numerous sources is being pulled for this purpose. It took several months to develop the system. Every waterbody approved under Jal Ganga Samvardhan Abhiyan has been approved after due diligence to ensure it is as per the appropriate topography. This not only increases efficiency, but technical intervention has also reduced the time of approvals from a few days to a few minutes.
Ideally, a proposal for a water body can now get technical sanction in just 15 minutes," Prasad added.