The State Government has decided to take up formation of new minor irrigation tanks across the local rainwater flows – streams – and extend the benefits of small water bodies to people as part of the fourth-phase of Mission Kakatiya programme scheduled to be launched next month.
Formation of new tanks would be in addition to taking up restoration of the identified existing minor irrigation tanks as part of the programme. Only repairs and de-silting of small water bodies including restoration of feeder channels, strengthening of bunds, repairs to surplus weirs and sluices were taken up in the first three phases of the programme which also aimed at revival of the chain-link-tank system.
“The Government has decided to take up formation of new tanks in the fourth-phase of Mission Kakatiya due to increasing demand from people and pressure from the local elected representatives, particularly from villages where there are no tanks existing”, officials of the minor irrigation department said.
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Restoration of tanks
Benefits from restoration of the existing minor irrigation tanks under Mission Kakatiya is the reason behind the demand, the officials explained.
Out of the proposals received for formation of 52 new minor irrigation tanks across the local streams in Adilabad and Sangareddy districts the Government has cleared 36 and the first stage approval has been accorded for 10 of them including 8 in Sangareddy and 2 in Adilabad district.
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Interestingly, all the 8 proposals approved in Sangareddy district are from the most backward constituency of Narayankhed – six in Manoor mandal and one each in Kangti and Narayankhed.
The Irrigation Department has sanctioned ₹13 crore for the new tanks in Sangareddy district including ₹12.85 crore for land acquisition and the remaining amount for the preliminary work. Similarly, ₹2.6 crore has been sanctioned for formation of two new tanks in Boath and Ichoda mandals of Adilabad including ₹2.57 crore for land acquisition.
“Benefits such as increase in groundwater table and irrigation intensity, reduction in use of chemical fertilisers where the silt from tank beds has been applied and improved crop yield, as found in a study conducted by an arm of National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is likely to turn focus on the importance of minor irrigation tanks once again”, the officials said.
Proposals for restoration of 149 minor irrigation tanks in several districts have been cleared already at an estimated cost of ₹45 crore.