Prepare action plans for filling reservoirs, ponds: CM Chandrababu Naidu
Collectors participating in the conference at the Secretariat on Monday
Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday directed the district collectors to prepare an action plan to fill the reservoirs and ponds so that every drop of water can be properly utilised.
Reviewing the availability of water resources in the state during the collectors’ conference, the Chief Minister wanted the crops that can be grown with minimum water to be encouraged. Directing the collectors to take steps to fill all the drinking water tanks in the on time, he said that the aim of the state should be supplying irrigation water to every acre.
Stressing the need for interlinking all the rivers in the state, the Chief Minister said that the state has five main rivers, Krishna, Godavari, Pennar, Nagavali and Vamsadhara and 35 small rivers besides 38,422 minor irrigation facilities. Pointing out that four crore acre ayakut needs to be irrigated in all the 26 districts in the state, he wanted to make use of every drop of water in the ongoing rainy season.
Directing the district collectors to review the possibility of reviving all the lift irrigation schemes that can be completed with minimum expenditure, he asked them to coordinate with the officials of the agricultural department on encouraging the high-yielded crops that can be grown with less utilisation of irrigation water.
He is so particular about the supply of irrigation
water even to the tail-end areas and told the collectors to carefully monitor
the process of release of water to canals and take timely decisions.
The Chief Minister wanted the collectors to monitor canals and irrigation projects through drones.
“If there is any failure from anyone or any mistakes committed from any angle the Government will get a bad name which I do not like,” Chandrababu Naidu clarified.
“The officials of the irrigation department, revenue, police and the rural water supply (RWS) besides other wings should actively
participate in this,” the Chief Minister told the meeting. Regretting that the previous government could not release funds even for erecting gates to the irrigation projects, Chandrababu made it clear that if any
gate is washed away, the
assistant engineer and
the deputy engineer concerned will be placed under suspension.