Groundwater levels in State up: CM

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, MARCH 28. Groundwater levels in the State had gone up by 0.19 metres to 6.34 metres in different regions due to the effect of `Neeru Meeru' and watershed programmes in the past few years, it was disclosed in the Assembly by the Chief Minister, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, while making a statement on `Neeru Meeru'.

He said there were some problems still in implementing the programmes successfully in all the districts and complaints of salinity, brackish water and non-completion of feeder channels had come up in some areas. A coordinated effort would be made to implement the programme more vigorously, he said.

The Groundwater Department had initiated water balance studies for evaluation of the impact of structures identified under phase two of the programme and the study would be completed - basin, mandal and villagewise - by December 2001. Where there was a serious problem the process would be completed by May 2001.

The Chief Minister said that in addition to Rs.239 crores earmarked by seven departments for Neeru Meeru works, an additional Rs.402.30 crores had been mobilised by the Forest, Major and Minor Irrigation departments and from central market funds. As a special case, the Government had proposed Rs.50 crores for the works in the Plan Funds of the budget this year.

The Bill on AP Water, Land and Trees had been introduced in the current Assembly session and it had been referred to the Select Committee, he reminded the members adding that it sought to provide necessary legislative support for water conservation activities.

The Government was considering permitting Agricultural Market Committees to utilize their funds in their respective areas with the prior approval of the Collector to develop water resources, he said. The mandal parishads also might be allowed to utilize 50 per cent of their general funds for Neeru Meeru works.

In the phase two 2,65,841 works were to be taken up to cover a volume of 893.8 lakh cubic metres of earth work, while the achievement till March 22 this year was already 378.919 lakh cubic metres of work with an expenditure of Rs.113.55 crores. In the first phase, 42,976 works were taken up at a cost of Rs.190.17 crores and 801.42 lakh cubic metres of work was completed.

All this had resulted in the rise in groundwater level (between May-December 2000) in Coastal Andhra by 2.67 metres, 3.5 metres in Rayalaseema and 3.97 metres in Telangana. Incremental rise in water levels varying between 0.05 and 7.18 metres was recorded in influent zones of various rain water harvesting structures, he pointed out.

He said till now 27 lakh hectares of degraded and wasteland was under treatment through 5,472 Watershed Committees and through 6,647 Vana Samrakshana Samithis another 16.6 lakh hectares of degraded forest land was under treatment.

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Section  : Southern States
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