‘Govt committed to protecting tanks’

metro india news I hyderabad

Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister,  N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday asserted that the State  government was fully committed to protecting tanks, ponds and other water bodies, safeguarding their Full Tank Level (FTL) boundaries and securing the livelihoods of fishing communities dependent on them.

Responding to issues raised during a discussion in the Telangana Legislative Council, Uttam Kumar Reddy said any instance of damage to a tank's FTL boundary, encroachment affecting a water body or hardship caused to fishing communities would be taken seriously.

He directed Irrigation officials to personally inspect the specific issue brought to the notice of the House within a week and ascertain the measures required to protect the water body and address the concerns of local communities. “I am completely committed to the protection of our tanks and their FTL boundaries. If there are specific instances where FTLs have been damaged or fishermen have been affected, bring them to my notice and we will act,” the Minister assured the House.

Members said the number of societies had increased from about 2,150 at the time of State formation to more than 6,000, while their membership had risen from around two lakh to 6.5 lakh.  Members sought a comprehensive policy giving fisheries cooperative societies a greater role in protecting tanks and other water resources. They argued that fishing communities, whose livelihoods were directly linked to healthy water bodies, could serve as effective local custodians by monitoring tanks, protecting stocked fish seed and immediately reporting encroachments or other threats.

24,000-acre ayacut to get water

Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy assured the Legislative Council that the Nellikal Lift Irrigation Scheme would be completed by December 2027, covering its entire 24,000-acre ayacut in Nalgonda district. He said 7,800 acres would receive irrigation water by June 2027, with the remaining 16,000 acres covered by December. Describing Nellikal as a high-priority project, he said the government was closely monitoring its execution. While the previous government had released Rs 25.42 crore, the present government had released Rs 310.681 crore so far to accelerate the long-pending project.

44,000 tanks geo-tagged

Uttam Kumar Reddy said the government had already initiated a process for constituting committees for all tanks. Such committees had existed in the undivided State but the system was subsequently discontinued. The move to revive them followed recommendations concerning better management and protection of water bodies.

The Minister said about 44,000 tanks had been geo-tagged, providing an important database for their monitoring and conservation. He stressed that the government would not hesitate to provide additional resources wherever required for the protection of tanks.

He reiterated that tank conservation, protection of FTL boundaries and safeguarding the livelihood interests of fishing communities would receive priority, and assured the House that specific violations brought to the government's notice would be acted upon.