Hyderabad: The state government is planning a statewide six-month water conservation programme from January to June 2027, that will involve every village to restored and rejuvenate water resources while generating large-scale rural employment to mitigate the impact of El Nino conditions.
Irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Thursday said the irrigation and panchayat raj departments would jointly prepare a comprehensive action plan for implementation before the next monsoon.
Chairing a review meeting here, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the programme would primarily mobilise villagers, particularly agricultural labourers, and use the employment guarantee framework. The existing 60:40 funding arrangement would be supplemented with additional state funds wherever required.
The minister said the El Nino situation should be converted into an opportunity to create durable water assets, strengthen irrigation infrastructure and improve groundwater availability. He stressed that an integrated approach involving irrigation, rural development, groundwater, energy and other departments would result in tangible results.
Officials have prepared a list of 355 categories of works that could be taken up during the programme. The main focus would be on the restoration of existing sources, and the plan also includes desilting and rejuvenation of minor irrigation tanks, village ponds, feeder channels and canals, besides restoring traditional water-harvesting structures.
The programme will cover repairs to damaged sluice gates and tank infrastructure, removal of silt and vegetation, and measures to enhance water-storage capacity. The creation of field channels through convergence between the irrigation and rural development departments would help improve utilisation of existing irrigation facilities and boost agricultural productivity, the minister said.
Construction of check dams across smaller rivers, streams and local watercourses would also be taken up to arrest water run-off, facilitate groundwater recharge and improve local water availability.
Uttam Kumar Reddy directed officials to study successful groundwater-recharge initiatives in Rajasthan and Maharashtra and identify practices that could be replicated in Telangana.
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