Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao instructed the officers of Irrigation department that they should take care of every drop of water without any waste and should be diverted towards the tanks in the state.
The Chief Minister said that all through the year, 365 days, every tank in the state should blossom with water. He said, that, the chain of tanks that have come into existence since days of kakatiyas should be converted as live sources of water and make complete use of the irrigated source in Telangana.
He suggested that an appropriate strategy has to be evolved to fill the chain of tanks through the waters flowing from the canals of major and medium irrigation projects, rain water and the regenerated water.
He said that we have to make essentially the running water to walk. He instructed that linking the canals to the tanks Mandal wise irrigation maps are to be designed.
The Chief Minister held a review meeting on Saturday afternoon at Pragathi Bhavan on linkage of chain of tanks with major and medium irrigation project canals water. Deputy Chief Ministers Mahmood Ali, Kadiyam Srihari, Ministers T Harish Rao, MPs K. Keshava Rao, B. Vinod Kumar, MLAs Vemula Prashanth Reddy, Marri Janardhan, Enugu Ravindar Reddy, Guvvala Balaraju, Diwakar Rao, Whip Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, Chief Advisor to the Government Rajiv Sharma, CMO secretary Smita Sabarwal, Engineer in Chief of Irrigation Department Muralidhar, CEs, SEs participated in the meeting.
The Irrigation department officers made a power point presentation on the subject, mapping of chain of tanks, developed by National Remote Sensing Agency and Indian Space Research Organization. The Chief Minister made a number of suggestions on provision of irrigation water by making optimum utilization of thousands of chain of tanks in the state.
“The state has inherited thousands of tanks since days of kakatiyas. The Bachawat Tribunal in 1974 itself allocated 265 TMC of water from Godavari and Krishna for minor irrigation through tanks. This means we have a storage capacity of water on a large scale through the chain of tanks.
However during the erstwhile rule, the tanks were totally neglected. Soon after formation of Telangana we rejuvenated the tanks through Mission Kakatiya.
We are constructing irrigation projects with huge investments. Without wasting even, a single drop of water flowing from these projects, we should divert them to tanks. We have the chain of tanks spread all over the state. Each chain has in it anywhere between 20-70 tanks,” the Chief Minister said.
The Chief Minister said that there was a need to identify the first tank of the chain and link it to project canal. “When we start filling the first tank it automatically follows, through the water flowing out of it, that the other tanks also will be filled. For this the feeder canal and irrigation canal are to be made ready.
Every Mandal Assistant Executive Engineer should have in his position the Mandal irrigation Maps. Appropriate strategy has to be evolved for identification of the right canal to fill a particular canal. One should have the knowledge as to how the over flown water reaches from one tank to another.
In addition to water flown from the projects, water from thousands of check dams, regenerated water as well as rain water, drop by drop should be diverted to the tanks. In Telangana water should not run but walk slowly and only then we will able to make perfect use of it.
When there is full of water in the rivers, canals, reservoirs, check dams, tanks etc., the whole atmosphere in Telangana transforms wonderfully. This also makes it possible to have adequate rains and increase the ground levels of waters” said the Chief Minister.
KCR said that an appropriate strategy to fill up the chain of tanks totally in the coming two months and also construction of required canals to fill the tanks should be completed in a year’s time. The CM said that the funds required for this will be released immediately.
He said that it is expected water in abundance would flow from Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation project from next June and as such to make proper use of the water the linkage of canals to the tanks shall be completed. He said that this should be treated on top priority item by the irrigation department.
The CM also said that in addition to revival of tanks, feeder canals and irrigation canals enough care to be taken that they last long.
The Chief Minister reminded that in the earlier days the farmers in the ayacut used to get repair the canals and sluice and as well as remove the soil in the tanks time to time.
He hoped that those days are to come again which requires educating the rural people. He announced that shortly he will convene a meeting with irrigation engineers for a proper understating of a linkage of canals and tanks.
“One has to think with reality. Priorities are to be identified and accordingly continue to work. In Telangana more than 75% are depending on agriculture.
Unfortunately, till now it has been viewed as an unimportant sector. In Europe and USA farmer get top priority. Importance and priority is also given there for production and productivity. Here in Telangana during the erstwhile rule farmer was totally neglected.
After the formation of the Telangana number of initiatives and schemes have been taken up for the welfare of the farmers and development of agriculture.
The Rythu Bandhu scheme being implemented in Telangana has all the praise from several economists. In an article title ‘Rythu Bandhu can be the social & agri policy template’ economist Arvind Subramanian praised the scheme. Since the thought process is in real terms it has become possible” said the CM.
“We have given top most priority for betterment of irrigation system in the state. Irrigation projects are in the process of construction for making complete utilization of our share of water in Krishna and Godavari rivers. Please identify the other sources of water where ever possible.
The Government is fully prepared to construct wherever necessary lifts, canals, and reservoirs. The Thammidihatti barrage construction should be taken up. The kupty project which will be the balancing reservoir to kadem project, tenders to be called.
Through this there is possibility of water source for kuntala water falls. There is enough of water in river Krishna also. We need to implement a strategy to make use of that water also” KCR said. (INN)