HYDERABAD: Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday pushed for a statewide revival of tanks, calling summer desiltation an “urgent priority” and directing officials to begin restoration works immediately without waiting for fresh guidelines.
At a review meeting at Jal Soudha, Uttam stressed that restoration must cover everything from village tanks to larger systems, with work taken up on a war footing.
He also made it clear that tank committees must be constituted without delay through the district administration. Each tank, or cluster of tanks, will have a government-nominated committee with farmers forming the majority, along with local officials and other stakeholders. Nominations, Uttam said, should be finalised based on departmental recommendations with clearly defined roles.
“Already, guidelines for desiltation are available. Follow them and start work,” Uttam said, urging officials to utilise the summer window. He questioned delays in processing proposals despite instructions issued over a month ago.
The minister further outlined a comprehensive restoration plan, beginning with desiltation and followed by bund strengthening, sluice repairs and catchment development, along with upstream measures to reduce fresh silt inflow. He also called for long-term stabilisation through afforestation to prevent soil erosion.
Cautioning against over-excavation, Uttam warned that removal of critical soil layers must be avoided and directed strict monitoring to prevent desiltation from turning into unauthorised mining. He encouraged farmer-driven desiltation, allowing silt to be used for agricultural fields, and said the newly formed committees should be empowered to function effectively.
The Irrigation minister also directed that catchment protection, Full Tank Level (FTL) fixation and anti-encroachment drives be taken up alongside restoration works, involving the Irrigation, Revenue and Agriculture departments.
Uttam also lauded the report prepared by the Telangana Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Commission, chaired by M Kodanda Reddy on minor irrigation tanks, and said its recommendations would be forwarded to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. He asked officials to expedite desiltation proposals for the Jurala and Musi projects without delay.