Real-time tracking of water levels soon in Telangana

Sensor-based Decision Support Systems to be installed at all irrigation projects, pump houses

Hyderabad: In order to keep track of water levels and inflows into all major dams and reservoirs across Telangana through real-time input alerts, the State government is taking steps to speed up the process of installing sensor-based Decision Support Systems (DSS) in all its irrigation projects and pump houses.

A total of 77 projects, 75 pump houses and ponds will be connected with the DSS. According to Irrigation Department officials, the DSS has been successfully functioning at the Kaleshwaram project and is helping officials know about real-time data of water inflows and outflows in reservoirs, pump houses and canals.

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Irrigation command areas suffer from problems such as inadequate and unreliable water supply, and wide gaps between irrigation potential created and utilised. Hence, the government has decided to install DSS to gather real-time data of all irrigation projects in the State, the officials added.

The DSS can also help assess the amount of water supplied to the agriculture sector from canals and find out details pertaining to the extent of agricultural land irrigated with canal water, the officials said. “It will facilitate smart management of water levels and inflows into all major dams and reservoirs across the State through real-time input alerts,” they added.

The DSS provides demand-based water release strategies for reducing the gap between canal supplies and demands and to help irrigation engineers plan, operate and manage irrigation systems efficiently, a senior irrigation official said.

According to the officials, DSS would increase decision-making efficiency at various levels of a system and would provide alternative information that may be useful in improving water management. The State government has already installed sensors in many reservoirs and canals through which the officials were receiving real-time alerts on water discharge and levels in reservoirs.

Special Chief Secretary (Irrigation) Rajat Kumar recently directed officials to install sensors in the reservoirs and canals in the State and speed up the process of installing DSS.