HYDERABAD: Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, during a review meeting on Friday, instructed the officials concerned to construct adequate check dams on all the streams across the State.
He asked them to estimate the number of check dams that the State required.
He directed the officials to complete the construction of 50 per cent of the total check dams required by the end of this year, and the remaining in 2021.
The Chief Minister also asked them to take up maintenance works every year on minor irrigation tanks, which were revived under the Mission Kakatiya programme.
He conducted a review meeting at Pragathi Bhavan on the utilisation of small and minor water resources on Friday.
“First, prepare estimates on the number of check dams the State would need, the number of check dams that have been sanctioned so far, and the number of those yet to be sanctioned. Then, take up the construction of 50 per cent of them this year and leave the rest for next year. Invite tenders for the same by January 15,” the Chief Minister directed the officials.
He told them that the required funds for the check dams would be allocated in the State Budget.
The Chief Minister also directed the officials to take up repairs on minor irrigation tanks — their bunds, pipes, canals and other structures — every year.
Budgetary allocations would be made for these works too. Rao asked the officials to encourage the farmers to desilt the minor irrigation tanks and divert the soil to the farmlands.
“Revive the past system - Neerati Kaadu. Entrust one of the VRAs with the work on tanks. Remove the unnecessary plants grown in the tanks,” Rao said.
‘Ensure there’s no water scarcity in SRSP ayacut’
The Chief Minister said that water from Yellampally reservoir should be supplied to the Sri Ram Sagar Project (SRSP) during the summers, as the water would flow in large quantities to Yellampally from Kadem during the monsoons.
He wanted officials to ensure that there was no water scarcity in the SRSP ayacut. He wanted all the reservoirs in the State to be filled with water by October.
“We are drawing more than 500 tmcft water from Kaleshwaram project alone. Besides this, Yellampally, Mid-Manair, SRSP, Mallanna Sagar, Konda Pochampally Sagar, Baswapur reservoirs too will be filled with water. We will supply water to all the tanks through these projects. With this, there will be water all over the State. There will be bumper crops in future,” Rao said.
He also suggested that the Irrigation Department be brought under the jurisdiction of five to six Engineers-in-Chief. The Irrigation Department should be reorganised accordingly, he added.
Survey for lift irrigation proposal
The Chief Minister instructed officials to examine the proposal to construct a lift irrigation project to supply water from Palair to NSP Ayucut in Miryalguda division. He wanted them to conduct a survey for the same.