HYDERABAD: The state government is preparing an action plan to boost groundwater recharge, regulate extraction and ensure sustainable management of available water resources.
According to Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, the initiative will focus on scientific assessment of groundwater availability, strengthening recharge measures and guiding farmers towards water-efficient cropping patterns ahead of the ensuing Rabi season.
Reviewing the groundwater situation with officials and experts in the presence of Animal Husbandry & Fisheries Minister Vakiti Srihari here on Friday, Uttam said that a comprehensive document would be prepared on the groundwater situation, facilitating further discussions with officials to formulate a coordinated action plan.
An expert from the CSIR-Northeast Institute of Science and Technology, Prof Virendra Tiwari, who is also an adjunct professor at IIT Hyderabad, joined the review virtually. He suggested an immediate assessment of precipitation against groundwater storage using the Groundwater Estimation Committee (GEC) model.
Prof Tiwari said that a preliminary assessment could be completed within a few days.
Pointing out that more than 94 per cent of water utilisation in Telangana was accounted for by irrigation, while domestic and other uses constituted only about 1.8 per cent, the expert stressed the need to quantify groundwater availability and requirements at the watershed level.