Mission Kakatiya pumps life into dried lakes

REVIVAL MODE

Hyderabad: Mission Kakatiya, the ambitious programme of Telangana government to restore thousands of lakes and tanks in Telangana has succeeded in completing works with regard to 7,000 thousand tanks out of 9,000 that were targeted.

• Irrigation dept plans to complete each year’s target in the first six months before the onset of monsoon
• This year’s pending number to be taken up from October; balance, if any, to be carried forward to next season
• Uma Bharathi to be invited for pylon launch

The Irrigation department is now planning to complete the ground work relating to identification of lakes to be restored in the second year, survey, tender invitations and finalisation formalities etc. before actual the works begin in January. This six-month schedule is likely to be continued even in the following years until the completion of the drive.

Also, the department has decided to put on hold commencement of silt removal works in nearly 2,600 lakes due to onset of monsoon much earlier than anticipated. Officials are planning to restart the drive in October, when rains stop, to complete balance works of the first phase.

Depending on weather conditions, restoration works would be undertaken in as many water bodies as possible. Else, this number would be carried forward to next year’s target list. It may be mentioned here that the Telangana government identified over 46,000 ‘dying’ water bodies in ten districts that required revival to get back to their past glory.

To make the job easier, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and Irrigation Minister T Harish gave a target to the Irrigation department to revive nearly 9,500 lakes every year for the next five years. According to top officials of the department, the first year of Mission Kakatiya was like a learning curve for them.

The drive kick-started in the second week of March and within a short span of three months nearly 7,000 lakes were covered. While a majority of them were already completed, some others are in different stages. Despite all odds such as less time, staff crunch, inexperience in junior ranks among others, the department could touch such a big number which itself was very commendable, they felt.

Considerable time was spent on drawing board in designing the plan, identification and survey of water bodies, procurement of necessary equipment, effecting co-ordination between various departments, equipping engineers with required facilities, making the tender process foolproof and online, wide publicity campaign on various platforms, launching of toll free number, website and social media sites, to name a few, despite having bottlenecks here and there.

The department officials feel that such issues would not be there for the next four years since all home work has been done. Meanwhile, efforts are on to invite Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharathi for inauguration of Mission Kakatiya Pylon already built in Warangal district. Initially the government planned to launch this prestigious drive after the unveiling of the pylon by Uma Bharathi but it could not take place.

But due to uncertainty of her visit and MLC elections, the government took permission from Election Commission and went ahead with it. However, the Telangana government has not given up on this. Uma Bharathi will be extended invitation again. A high-level delegation would be meeting the Union Minister in this regard in the coming days, it is learnt.

By Mahesh Avadhutha