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Anantapur leads in farm ponds digging
The recent rains that lashed the district filled 75,000 farm ponds dug by farmers under the ‘Neeru-Pragathi,’ a water conservation project of the State and Central governments under the direction of District Water Management Agency(DWMA).
Anantapur: The recent rains that lashed the district filled 75,000 farm ponds dug by farmers under the ‘Neeru-Pragathi,’ a water conservation project of the State and Central governments under the direction of District Water Management Agency(DWMA).
Each farm pond holds 3 lakh litres of rain water. The 75,000 farm ponds spread over 63 mandals in the district was a major feat achieved by DWMA Project Director A Nagabhushanam.
Another 25,000 farm ponds which are in various stages of completion would be completed by the end of the current year, making the AP number one in the country as the farm pond project is nationally executed.
The rain water conserved in 75,000 farm ponds will save 2,250 crore litres of water and is equal to 1 tmc ft of water. About 8,832 check dams and 4,870 percolation tanks were also filled with rain water.
As the financial year 2017-18 is crossing halfway mark, the ambitious targeted programme of digging 1 lakh farm ponds under the 'Panta Sanjeevini' scheme is all set to finish the remaining 25,000 farm ponds by December.
Anantapur district alone has targeted to dig 1.13 lakh farm ponds against a national target of 7 lakh odd farm ponds. The district leads both in AP state and even in the country by completing 75,000 of them and fast progressing in completing the remaining 35,000 by year-end.
DWMA Project Director A Nagabhushanam told The Hans India that nearly hundreds of farmers have seen the farm ponds changing the history and geography of their agriculture lands. 1.38 lakh bores have been recharged in the district. Water level has shot up from 26 meters to 20 meters.
The recent rains have increased the depth of water levels by 6 meters. Scores of dried up borewells had been revived and water springing out of them. 27,010 farm ponds registered 0.25 tmc of rain water in the recent past.
Collector Veera Pandian speaking to The Hans India said out of 7 lakh farm ponds sanctioned for entire country, 1 lakh farm ponds were sanctioned for Anantapur district alone. Chittoor district stands second by completing 27,559 farm ponds and Srikakulam district the lowest by completing 2,761 ponds.
The State government is spending Rs 600 crore in Anantapur district alone on the 1 lakh farm ponds. It is spending Rs 60,000 to Rs 70,000 on each farm pond using NREGS job card holders in villages.
By Ravi P Benjamin
