Telangana: Barren lands turn wetlands

Hyderabad: The effective operation and maintenance of irrigation systems enabled the State government to achieve better water utilisation and increase crop productivity, according to the statistical abstract of Telangana State Development Planning Society (TSDPS). The State government adopted a comprehensive irrigation development strategy to provide irrigation facilities to about 125 lakh acres across Telangana. It […]

Hyderabad: The effective operation and maintenance of irrigation systems enabled the State government to achieve better water utilisation and increase crop productivity, according to the statistical abstract of Telangana State Development Planning Society (TSDPS).

The State government adopted a comprehensive irrigation development strategy to provide irrigation facilities to about 125 lakh acres across Telangana. It has taken up several measures and adopted a six-pronged strategy for the completion of pending irrigation projects, on a fast track.

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Explaining the key highlights pertaining to the irrigation sector, the TSDPS said irrigation in Telangana was dependent on Godavari and Krishna Rivers having an allocation of 1266.94 TMC (967.94 TMC and 299 TMC in Godavari and Krishna respectively) of assured water besides 500 TMC of surplus waters in both the rivers.

The State has undertaken speedy completion of ongoing projects which had earlier been neglected for years in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, apart from modernisation of old projects such as Nagarjuna Sagar, Nizamsagar and Sri Ramsagar.

Restoration of all minor irrigation tanks and water bodies under ‘Mission Kakatiya’ was also taken up apart from linking of major irrigation tanks with major and medium projects by the construction of sluices and check dams for rejuvenation of streams and rivers flowing through the project command areas.

The focus was mainly on irrigation projects that were in the pipeline before Telangana formation like Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme and Sitarama Lift Irrigation projects. An irrigation potential of 21.32 lakh acres has been created in the State through nine completed major irrigation projects.

Sri Ramasagar stage-I project with an irrigation potential of 9.68 lakh acres is the largest existing major irrigation project followed by the Nagarjuna Sagar project with an irrigation potential of 6.40 lakh acres. There are 24 ongoing major irrigation projects with a contemplated ayacut of 69.02lakh acres and so far, an irrigation potential of 17.85 lakh acres stands created.

The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) with contemplated irrigation potential of 18.25 lakh acres and stabilization of 18.82 lakh acres is the largest major irrigation project in the State. So far, 13.20 lakh acres is stabilised under SRSP –I and II and an irrigation potential of 0.88 lakh acres stand created.

There are 27 medium irrigation projects with an existing irrigation potential of 3.04 lakh acres. Mission Kakatiya’ has been implemented with the objective of restoring the water bodies to their original standard across the State.

A total of about 46,531 minor tanks were identified for restoration out of which 27,665 tanks have been restored and ayacut of 15.05 lakh acres was stabilized.

Over 8.93 TMC of storage capacity was restored under major irrigation tanks. The total contemplated ayacut for 663 small lift irrigation schemes is 5.05 lakh acres and so far an irrigation potential of 4.59 lakh acres has been created under 640 lift irrigation schemes.

Khammam district has the highest number of lift schemes (139 schemes, with an irrigation potential of 0.506 lakh acres. Khammam, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Suryapet, Nizamabad and Nirmal districts together account for more than 59 per cent of the total lift irrigation schemes in the State.

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