Naidu to go ahead with water sector reforms

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, JUNE 6. The Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, has announced his plan to measure or audit water being supplied for crops during every water year, hereafter to be observed from June 1 to May 31, and implement the step through the present 10,292 Water Users' Associations with `a carrot and stick policy.'

At an international workshop on `Water Sector Reforms' organised here on Wednesday jointly by World Bank, the State Government and the Joint Action Council of India and Australia, participated by about 100 experts from all over the world, the Chief Minister expressed his resolve `to go ahead further' with the water sector reforms but did not confirm whether water rates would be collected as per metered quantum as was widely speculated these days. He said, automatic devices would be installed to measure utilisation and seepage, and water rates (cess) would be reduced or increased depending on these aspects.

Mr. Naidu said he would use information technology in all reforms. Regarding water, he would use his personal computer every day to know the flow and consumption under each canal.

He would accord incentives if a WUA ensured optimum utilisation and disincentives, if otherwise. He indicated the Government's commitment to integrated basin plans now being popularised by World Bank as a further step under reforms.

Making a presentation through slides, he listed the measures initiated so far under water reforms launched in 1997 with an Assembly Act such as formation of WUAs providing for participatory irrigation management, launching of `Water Mission' chaired by himself apart from `Neeru-Meeru' in which 16 departments/ agencies were involved, Watershed programme covering 100 lakh hectares in 10 years and the latest Water, Land and Trees Ordinance of 2000 and said the policy of the Government now was to set aside at least 10 per cent of water under any project to industries while it was to be utilised for five other major purposes also - drinking water, irrigation, navigation and recreation.

These programmes pushed up the water table in 90.7 per cent of the area covered by them. Under Neeru-Meeru III, the achievement was 33.32 million cubic metres till now as against a target of 98.89 cu m. He hoped that the watershed areas would soon become yet another Raale Gaon Sidhi, the place in Maharashtra where such programme yielded good results bringing back to life a dead river.

Mr. Naidu said the Government would adopt a holistic approach as far as water was concerned and go ahead with regulation of borewells prohibiting them where there was no groundwater.

On the achievements made by the WUAs so far, he said they covered a gap ayacut of 10 lakh acres, pushed up per acre yield by 10 per cent in general and 15 per cent in Godavari delta and implemented 17,155 works at a cost of Rs. 1.98 billions.

Mr. Keith Oblitas, Water Sector Expert of World Bank, in his address, eulogised the Chief Minister for the `inspiration' he had given for reforms in this part of the world by forming large number of WUAs with democratic elections to choose their chiefs leading to six other States in India itself emulating Andhra.

He spelt out farmers management of irrigation, Government role as facilitator in this process and integrated water resources management as the final aims of the World Bank- instilled reforms.

He said WUAs should be able to collect their own water rates for providing quality water with proper drainage arrangements. He suggested that there should an Agriculture Service Agency for `commercial' and integrated operation of the water system just as in the case of Murrary Darling river in Australia. Andhra Pradesh should not rest and instead should proceed further to make the system self-sustainable.

The Major Irrigation Minister, Mr. M. Venkateswara Rao, stated that seeing Andhra Pradesh experiment, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh adopted WUAs concept. The days were not far off when the WUAs in the State would be able to collect revenues on their own.

Mr. P. K. Manoranjan, Director-General, Water and Land Management Training and Research Institute, Hyderabad, introduced the guests, Dr. C. V. S. K. Sarma, Secretary, Irrigation, welcomed the gathering, and the Minor Irrigation Minister, Mr. K. E. Prabhakar, proposed a vote of thanks.

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Section  : Southern States
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