CM stresses convergence of technologies

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, OCT. 13. The Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, has underlined convergence of related technologies at the village level to make the water conservation movement successful and sustainable. ``That is our ultimate aim.''

Mr. Naidu, who was chairing a meeting of the Water Conservation Mission at the Dr MCR Institute of HRD here on Friday, called upon Mr. Anna Saheb Hazare and other prominent leaders of voluntary social action groups to adopt two or three watershed areas each for all-round development as model villages.

He readily fell in with Mr. Hazare's suggestion that watershed development be taken up only where people accept the 5 principles -- prohibition, two-child norm, tree-planting, no over-grazing and voluntary shramdan by every person twice a month.

It was Mr. B. N. Yugandhar, a retired IAS officer, head of the Employment Generation Mission, who underscored the convergence theme, saying various agencies involved in the task ran on parallel or even opposite lines. It was regrettable that the Agriculture University did not have even a paper on water conservation while the department rejected water conservation approach. The Government also rejected the convergence idea. This aberration could be corrected only at the level of the Chief Minister. Hyderabad boasted of a number of reputed institutions dealing with water and the Government could profit from their technologies.

Mr. Rajendra Singh, Mission member from Rajasthan, listed some ``basic shortcomings'' of the programme, saying people's participation was must for sustainability. He feared that considering the speed at which the programme was going, it might fold up in 5 years. He, however, commended the support given by the political leadership.

Reacting promptly, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Mr. S. D. Mukherjee, asked ``What exactly do you mean by speed?. Will it become sustainable if we go slow?''

The Chief Minister also threw his weight behind his officer saying a certain element of speed was necessary to involve and motivate people. Otherwise, the movement would lose tempo and taper off. The concept of water conservation was popularised by way of the Neeru-Meeru programme much before the mission was set up. The concept was debated in each of the 44,000 habitations during Janmabhoomi and countless tanks were desilted to store more water.

Continuous contour trenching (CCT) along the hill-slopes helped arrest soil erosion and run-off water. It gave excellent results in many places including Tirupati and his own Kuppam constituency. Rainwater harvesting structures in urban areas were a hit. The National Police Academy and some other establishments in Hyderabad could ``harvest'' the last drop of rain on their premises, he said.

He said 270 million seedlings were planted and protected in the State this year alone. Grazing in reserved areas was prohibited and all approaches to interior forests were closed. ``We want to ensure that the State does not suffer from drought after 4 or 5 years.''

Mr. Hazare noted that 50 years after Independence, over 17,000 villages in Maharashtra faced acute drinking water shortage in summer. This was due in part to lack of a mass movement as was being witnessed in Andhra Pradesh, he said. The success of water conservation brought in a lot of water which in turn meant prosperity leading to easy habits. The people should discourage drinking, population boom, overgrazing, cutting trees and instead offer shramdan regularly for the common good.

Mr. T. Hanumanth Rao, a retired Chief Engineer and water consultant, said rainfed agricultural productivity could be increased three-fold at no extra cost through better watershed development involving cover crop technology. Coverage of the land with organic matter or bean crops would help arrest evaporation and increase retention of soil moisture.

Mr. Smarajit Ray, Vice-Chairman of the Mission, welcomed. Mr. S. P. Tucker, Commissioner Rural development and CEO of the Mission, dwelt upon ongoing works and future strategies. Prof. Ch. Hanumantha Rao, former member of Planning Commission, Mr. Vilas Rao Salunke, Paani Panchayat, Pune, Dr. Nagendra Swamy, Villagers in Partnership, Mahbubnagar, Y. V. Malla Reddy, Rural Development Trust, Anantapur, and others also spoke.

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Section  : Southern States
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