Telangana government plans to construct check dams

The Telangana government plans to construct check dams at every possible location in the State for the optimum utilisation of water available in various streams.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Friday directed officials of the Irrigation Department to submit a detailed action plan by identifying the required number of check dams on various rivulets and streams, besides the budget requirement. He is keen to construct at least half of the proposed check dams this year, and the remaining would be taken up next year.

Reviewing the water availability in the State at Pragathi Bhavan on Friday, Chandrashekhar Rao observed that Telangana had abundant supply from the Godavari River, following construction of various projects such as the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS), Devadula and Sitarama projects, among others. He said more than 500 tmc of water will be drawn from the Kaleshwaram project alone.

“Water is being stored in major reservoirs such as Yellampalli, Mid Manair, Lower Manair and Sri Ram Sagar Project (SRSP), along with Mallanna Sagar, Konda Pochamma Sagar and Basvapur reservoirs, which are under construction. These projects will help us fill various water tanks in villages, creating an uninterrupted water supply system for our farmers,” Chandrashekhar Rao said.

As a small portion of irrigation water supplied to farmlands would get discharged into naturally formed streams and canals, the Chief Minister suggested bringing the water into use by constructing check dams along



these streams and canals. He said rains would also complement this discharged water to fill the streams. “We must identify the number of available check dams, requirement for more, their possible location and expenditure on a war-footing. Tenders must be invited by January 15 and construction of at least half of these check dams must be completed during this fiscal,” he asserted.

The Chief Minister instructed the officials to supply water from the Yellampally project to SRSP during the summer, as water will reach Yellampally in large quantities from the Kadem project soon after monsoon rains begin. He wanted officials to ensure that there is no water scarcity for the SRSP ayacut and directed them to fill all the reservoirs in the State by October with water drawn from various sources.

Reiterating that the Irrigation Department had a key role in the State government, the Chief Minister directed the officials to reorganise the department in accordance with changes in the irrigation system. He suggested increasing the number of Engineers-in-Chief (E-in-C) from five to six. He directed all the E-in-Cs to monitor and supervise all the water resources under their jurisdiction at regular intervals. He also promised promotions to eligible employees.

“Irrigation is of the highest priority for the State government. The officials also should stop differentiating between major, medium, minor and small projects, and work in complete coordination with each other,” he said.