The Water Users’ Associations Apex Committee members have demanded magisterial powers to Executive Engineers posted to work with the Water Users’ Associations (WUAs).
WUA Apex Committee Krishna district member Alla Gopalakrishna, Kurnool district member P Kumar Goud and Srikakulam district member K Appa Rao said magisterial powers would strengthen the WUA network.
Addressing the Water User’s Associations’ Apex Committee Members, Project Committee and Distributary Committee chairmen, and presidents of the Water Users’ Associations (WUAs) of the State at the Tele Projection (video) conference at the Integrated Water Resources Management and Farmers’ Training Centre here, the Apex Committee Members said the WUAs created under the provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Farmers’ Management of Irrigation Systems Act, 1997, would become stronger and more independent. The dependence on the Revenue and Police Department would come down, they said.
CADA Commissioner V Venkataramaiah said 6,138 WUAs, 245 distributary committees and 53 project committees had to be re-constituted under the Act.
There was a need for all these bodies to fulfil their duties with a great deal of competence, he said.
The mere imbibing technical knowledge from engineers and agricultural experts was not sufficient for water users, in other words farmers.
They should inculcate social consciousness, said veteran irrigation engineer and Water Resources Department Experts Committee member Cherukuri Veeraiah.
He said the responsibility of making optimum use of the water was the burden of the farmers who were the end users of water. He said farmers should take up water management as a service.
The Apex Committee members suggested a few more measures for the better functioning of the WUAs.
