About 18,000 of the estimated 46,000-odd water tanks in Telangana did not have adequate inflows in the last 10 years. Whether the inflows were marred in the previous decade too and what has been preventing them from filling up during the monsoons is being studied currently by the IIIT-Hyderabad students with the help of satellite maps.
This is yet another initiative of the Irrigation Department to utilise the space technology to know the actual position and prepare action plan through appropriate policy measures to improve the capacity of tanks which are a vital source for irrigation in several parts of the State.
“We are verifying the actual number of tanks available, in flows and geo-tag them for monitoring,” explains G. Malsur, Commissioner Command Area Develoment Authority (CADA). The IIT-H students are on the ground scouring the hinterlands checking on the tanks armed with maps of the Survey of India (SoI) to mark legal boundaries and linking them with satellite images at different intervals.
The work is done through the digital elevation mode programme which helps in identifying the water flows. It was realised that thus far a little more than 38,000 minor tanks had been found be in proper shape and can fit into the SoI and satellite mapping along with boundaries.
Each tank thus identified will be given a number based on the longitude and latitude rather than the mandal or district and will be geo-tagged with the satellite image at the particular site. “At any given point, it will prevent duplication on locating a lake/map,” says Mr. Malsur.
The department had signed a pact with NRSA-ISRO few days ago towards forming a portal on water resources information system in the presence of Minister T. Harish Rao and ISRO Chairman A. Krishna Kumar.
Data has also shown a few ‘sinks’ falling in the drainage system but with no water in recent years. Also, lakes of less than one hectare water spread were not considered in the survey.
The IIIT-H has also brought a software and mobile app for the benefit of irrigation engineers to geo-tag the tanks and training is currently on.
“We are hopeful of having a database soon and it will help us in future maintenance and corrective measures,” he adds. The data will be linked to the portal too.
