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Konapur turns model village for water conservation
Many villages in Medak, Siddipet and Sangareddy districts have been setting example for water conservation by digging soak-pits, constructing water sheds, setting-up water recharge structures, digging contour trenches around the farm lands, de-silting irrigation tanks through Mission Kakatiya and so on.
Organic farming activist Kishan Mudiraj has been striving to conserve water and becomes inspiration to other villagers
Ramayampet (Medak): Many villages in Medak, Siddipet and Sangareddy districts have been setting example for water conservation by digging soak-pits, constructing water sheds, setting-up water recharge structures, digging contour trenches around the farm lands, de-silting irrigation tanks through Mission Kakatiya and so on.
The residents of Konapur village, which is the paternal village of Deputy Speaker Padma Devender Reddy’s husband, have gone a step ahead and are trying to conserve every drop of water. It all started almost four years ago when Kishan Mudiraj, an organic farming activist from the village dug contour trenches in the village. His organic farming methods were influenced by Subhash Palekar.
They got encouragement from Devender Reddy and V Prakash, Chairman, Telangana State Water Resources Development Corporation (TSWRDC). The entire village has completed building soak-pits at all houses. The villagers have taken-up several other works through Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to conserve water. Hundreds of villagers are working in groups.
The villagers are digging contour trenches at the bottom of hillocks in the village at several locations, so that water percolates around the village and increases the ground water levels. Borewell recharge pits have also been dug near several borewells. Kishan identified a place at the base of a hillock in the village and constructed a bund making it a minor irrigation tank (kunta). Even national remote sensing experts have approved of the location for storage of water.
There is also an irrigation tank in the village called Patel Kunta where the villagers are trying to dig what they call ‘kunta lo kunta’ (tank inside a tank). The work is still in progress.Currently NREGS workers are digging contour trenches around his farm land. There is a perfect convergence between Agriculture, Irrigation, NREGS, PACS and TSWRDC. According to Ramesh, Agricultural Officer of Ramayampet, an amount of Rs 21 lakh from Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) are also used.
Kishan Mudiraj has himself built a farm pond in his two acre agricultural land where he has been growing organic vegetables and is also planning to grow organic paddy in kharif 2017. Water will be available in the farm pond throughout kharif and we are also planning to release fish seed this year,” he said. Kishan, who belongs to Mudiraju community, is one of the active member of TRS party and was the first person to hoist TRS party flag in 2001. He continues to work for organic farming and water conservation.
By Vivek Bhoomi
