UP's Lakhimpur Kheri creates record by constructing 1,030 ponds in a month

The Lakhimpur Kheri district in Uttar Pradesh has registered its name in the India Book of Records by constructing 1,030 water pools in just one month, officials said.

The "monumental achievement" was accomplished under the 'Har Gaon Talab Abhiyan' (every village pond campaign), a special initiative of the rural development department aimed at water conservation, the officials said.

Chief Development Officer (CDO) Abhishek Kumar said, "The water pool in every village campaign was not only an initiative for water conservation but it also worked to accelerate the rural economy." In a felicitation ceremony on Wednesday at the Collectorate, India Book of Records judge Pramil Dwivedi honoured Kheri District Magistrate (DM) Durga Shakti Nagpal and CDO Kumar with certificates and medals, commending the collective efforts of the administration and the villagers.

Nagpal emphasised the significance of the achievement, saying, "For the district administration, this is not just a record but a historic achievement arising from public participation in the direction of water conservation." She said the team completed the target of digging "more than 1,000 ponds in a month and that too with the resolve that every pond should be ready before the first rain".

The DM credited the CDO for his "full dedication and leadership", transforming the campaign into a "mission mode". The initiative saw the digging of 70 to 80 ponds in each block, converting approximately 700 acres of land into water conservation areas.