Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has urged the International Commission on Irrigation (ICID) to work on a solution to transfer water from one basin to another in drought-prone conditioned basins, especially in Andhra Pradesh, even though it is a global issue.
Addressing the inaugural session of the 25th International Congress on Irrigation & Drainage, and ICID’s 74th International Executive Council meeting on the theme ‘Tackling Water Scarcity in Agriculture’ here on Thursday, November 2, Mr. Reddy said the solution should be economically viable, socially acceptable, technically feasible and environmentally friendly.
Andhra Pradesh is one of the States which is dependent on rain-fed irrigation system and faces a problem in water supply to agricultural crops during lean monsoons, he said. He also highlighted the key interventions being undertaken in the field of water resources in the State.
The event was organised by ICID and the Indian National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (INCID), while the Water Resources wing of the Andhra Pradesh Irrigation Department hosted the programme.
Centre’s initiatives
Delivering the N.D. Gulhati Memorial Lecture on ‘Ensuring Water and Food Security through Climate Resilient Infrastructure’, Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekawat said that the Union government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is making every effort to effectively solve the water problems in various States, and interlinking of rivers is one of the initiatives.
He flagged various issues, challenges, way forward and the government’s commitment to water resource management. He also emphasised on crucial role of international collaboration for redressal of the inextricable linkage of climate change and food security.
Earlier, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Mr. Shekawat and others on the dais performed ‘Jal Bharo’ by mixing the water collected from different rivers in one pot.
The inaugural function began with a welcome address by Kushvinder Vohra, INCID Chairman. He emphasised the importance of sustainable water management in the context of food and ecosystem security.
Around 1,300 experts, researchers, and professionals, including 350 from 40 countries, participated in the event. They came up with presentations on the challenges of water resource management, irrigation, and drainage.
Three publications, ‘Abstract Volume of 25th ICID Congress’, ‘Historical Water Sustainability Publications’ and ‘World Heritage Irrigation Structure’, were released.
Heritage structures
Three heritage irrigation structures — Prakasam Barrage (Andhra Pradesh), Sri Vaikuntam Anicut (Tamil Nadu), and Balidiha Irrigation Project (Odisha), were acknowledged.
Published - November 02, 2023 08:19 pm IST
