Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) has planned to conserve 20 ponds here to keep intact its surface water.
The city corporation has adopted a Tk 1,209.13-crore project titled "Natural Water Bodies Conservation and Development in Rajshahi City" in this regard.
City Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton revealed this while inspecting the improvement and beautification works of Kali Pukur in city's Bosepara area on Friday afternoon.
The conservation, development and beautification works were implemented at a cost of around Taka 45 lakh as part of the Tk 2,993-crore project titled 'Integrated Urban Infrastructure Development in Rajshahi City'.
Liton said the project has been adopted to mitigate the adverse impact of climate change, adding that necessary excavation and re-excavation, embankments of the ponds would be made concrete under the project.
He said no one would be allowed to fill up the ponds.
He opined that once there were scores of ponds and canals in the metropolis but its number dwindled now a day due to filling up and unplanned urbanisation.
As surface water level has been declining at an alarming rate, dependence on groundwater has increased lowering the level of groundwater table in the last couple of years, he said.
The situation worsens during the dry season leaving most of the manual tube wells useless, Liton added.
"We have no other choice but to conserve surface water resources to keep the level of groundwater table intact," said the mayor, adding that the preserved water bodies would help firefighters in extinguishing any fire incident by providing water in the city.