Haryana is turning its attention to one of the most familiar yet increasingly vulnerable features of rural life—the village pond. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has directed that untreated wastewater must no longer be allowed to flow directly into ponds, making scientific treatment of sewage and grey water a central part of the state’s plan to restore, beautify and maintain these traditional water bodies.
The directive came during a meeting of the Haryana Pond and Waste Water Management Authority in Chandigarh on August 25, where the Chief Minister reviewed the condition of ponds across the state and pressed officials to move beyond cosmetic beautification towards long-term water management and maintenance.
Haryana has around 20,100 ponds, including 19,219 in rural areas and 881 in urban locations. Many of these water bodies have traditionally served several purposes, from groundwater recharge and livestock use to supporting village ecosystems. But the unchecked flow of domestic wastewater, overflowing drains and inadequate maintenance have increasingly turned some ponds into sources of pollution rather than community assets.
Saini’s instruction is therefore significant because it places wastewater treatment at the heart of pond restoration. He directed officials to ensure that water entering ponds undergoes appropriate treatment and pre-treatment instead of allowing untreated sewage to become part of the pond ecosystem.
The government is examining several options for managing grey and black water generated in villages. These include wastewater treatment systems outside ponds, sewage treatment plants and smaller treatment facilities that can be developed using available village or panchayat land. The Chief Minister specifically called for work on micro-STPs in rural areas so that wastewater can be treated closer to its source.
The approach marks an important shift in how village ponds are viewed. Rather than treating them simply as spaces that need cleaning and landscaping, the government is attempting to build a wider system in which drainage, wastewater treatment, water quality, public use and maintenance are considered together.
The scale of the task is considerable. The authorities are currently focusing particularly on ponds that are polluted or prone to overflowing. At the same time, work is being accelerated on 320 ponds undergoing renovation and beautification, while 467 additional ponds have been identified for development. Saini has directed officials to complete the ongoing projects quickly and begin work on the newly identified sites.
But the government’s plan goes beyond water quality. The Chief Minister wants restored ponds to become usable community spaces and part of the social landscape of villages. In villages where yoga centres are yet to be established, officials have been asked to consider developing yoga facilities around ponds, complete with shelters and open gyms.
The idea is to bring people back to these spaces. Regular community use, the government believes, could create a stronger sense of ownership among villagers and encourage them to participate in the upkeep of ponds. A pond that becomes a place for exercise, yoga and community activity is less likely to remain an ignored or neglected corner of the village.
Technology is also being brought into the restoration effort. Officials discussed mechanical aeration and nanobubble technology as possible methods of improving pond water quality. Saini directed that these technologies first be tested through pilot projects. If the results prove effective, they could subsequently be extended to other ponds across the state.
The government is also paying attention to ponds where solar pumps have already been installed. The Chief Minister called for improved filtration arrangements around such systems and stressed that the pumps themselves must be properly maintained. The message is that infrastructure created as part of pond rejuvenation cannot be allowed to deteriorate after a project is officially completed.
Another important component of the review was the future of completed ponds. Officials briefed the Chief Minister on 350 Amrit Sarovars, while Saini stressed that completed water bodies must be put to better public use and maintained properly. Future allocation or auction of ponds for fisheries, he said, should follow the prescribed procedure while ensuring that their use serves broader public interests.
The state is also planning a mechanism similar to the ‘Mhári Sadak’ app, through which residents will be able to report problems concerning ponds. Complaints about poor condition or the need for restoration could be submitted with location tagging and forwarded to the concerned sarpanch and officials for action.
Such a system could potentially change the relationship between villages and local administration. Instead of waiting for periodic inspections, residents would have a direct channel to flag overflowing ponds, damaged infrastructure, poor maintenance or other problems. Its effectiveness, however, will ultimately depend on how quickly complaints are acknowledged and resolved.
The government is also strengthening the institutional responsibility for maintenance. Five per cent of the Development and Panchayats Department’s budget has been earmarked for pond maintenance, while village-level committees have been constituted to oversee the upkeep of ponds. These committees include the sarpanch as chairperson along with the village secretary and other relevant representatives.
Saini has now asked for regular monitoring of these committees. At the district level, Additional Deputy Commissioners will review their performance and prepare reports on the steps taken to maintain individual ponds. The committees will also be responsible for monitoring solar pumps installed at the sites.
The Haryana Pond and Waste Water Management Authority has been given a wider supervisory role. The Chief Minister called for periodic inspections, standardisation of pond designs and drawings, and greater uniformity in the quality of restoration work. Responsibility for each project is also expected to be clearly assigned, with accountability fixed for lapses or poor execution.
The emphasis on standardisation is important as Haryana moves towards restoring hundreds of ponds simultaneously. Without common standards for design, water treatment, drainage, landscaping and maintenance, restoration can easily become uneven from one village to another.
The government also discussed the possibility of developing ponds located within densely populated village areas outside the residential settlements, where appropriate, with the objective of improving their public utility and reducing pressure from surrounding habitation.
The broader ambition is to make village ponds visible again as part of Haryana’s rural identity. Vimal Goswami, Executive Vice-Chairman of the Haryana Pond and Waste Water Management Authority, said the government wants clean and attractive ponds to become an integral part of village beauty and community life.
That ambition, however, will depend less on landscaping and more on what happens beneath the surface. If untreated wastewater continues to enter ponds, even an extensively beautified water body can quickly return to its polluted state. The government’s decision to prioritise treatment before discharge therefore addresses the fundamental problem rather than merely its visible symptoms.
For Haryana’s villages, the success of the programme will ultimately be measured by whether ponds remain clean months and years after their renovation, whether wastewater is properly treated, whether local communities participate in their upkeep and whether the new infrastructure continues to function.
Saini’s latest directions suggest that the state is attempting to turn pond restoration into a continuing public-management programme rather than a one-time beautification exercise. If the proposed treatment systems, community monitoring and technological pilots work as intended, Haryana’s traditional village ponds could once again become useful water assets—and, at the same time, greener and more vibrant public spaces at the heart of rural life.
