National symposium on watershed projects held at PJTAU
Hyderabad: Participants of a two-day national symposium, organised in conjunction with World Water Day, visited the village of Gottigaripally as part of a field visit on Sunday.
The symposium, jointly organised by Professor Jayashanskar Telangana Agricultural University (PJTAU) and the Dr Marri Channa Reddy Memorial Trust, took place at the Extension Education Institute (EEI) of the university in Rajendra Nagar. It focused on the theme “Status and Impact of Watershed Projects in Specific Peninsular Deccan States, Gujarat, and Odisha.”
The event was inaugurated by Marri Shashidhar Reddy, Secretary of the Dr M Channa Reddy Memorial Trust and former Vice Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), who also delivered the keynote address. Reddy emphasised the importance of watershed management for ensuring water security for future generations. He explained the impact and success of the “four water” concept developed by the eminent engineer T Hanumantha Rao and its positive effects on Gottigaripalli village in Zahirabad mandal. As a result of implementing this concept, groundwater levels in the village have significantly improved, allowing farmers to grow three crops using the available water. Under the watershed development programme, Rs 5,000 per acre is allocated to create water harvesting structures to enhance groundwater recharge and improve soil moisture reclamation.
Reddy urged the audience to use water resources judiciously. Other speakers at the event included Professor Purushotham Reddy, an eminent environmentalist; Dr M Balaram, Director of Research at PJTAU; and Dr KV Ramana Rao, Dean of Agricultural Engineering. Dr KP Vani, Director of the Centre for Natural Resources and Environment (C-NRAE), along with several government officials from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, NABARD, CRIDA, NRSC, NIRD, and representatives from non-government organisations and local farmers from Gottigaripalli, also attended the inaugural session of the symposium. During the event, a publication titled “Run for Water” was released by Shashidhar Reddy.