 "Mission Kakatiya")
The state of Telangana has been reeling under drought since its formation on June 3, 2014. As a result, annual crop growth has been negative in this period. The state government, headed by K Chandrasekhar Rao, is hopeful of better times ahead based on predictions of higher than average rainfall during the monsoon this year by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and Skymet, a private weather forecasting agency. According to the IMD, so far during southwest monsoon of 2016 four districts of Telangana has witnessed excess rainfall and rest of them received normal rainfall. But, to avoid unduly situations and to improve conditions in the sector further the government has launched “Mission Kakatiya”, with a focus on expanding irrigation assets, especially minor irrigation.
Through Mission kakatiya, launched on March 12, 2015, the state hopes to enhance the share of water tanks in irrigation by rejuvenating old tanks and building new ones. The government intends to take forward the legacy of Kakatiya era (1083 CE-1323 CE), during which time water tanks were a major part of irrigation. The government aims to restore 46,531 tanks in five years, evenly spread between the minor Krishna basin and the minor Godavari basin, with a target of 9,306 tanks a year in a phased manner.
Bhupathiraju Nagendra Rao, chief engineer at the minor Godavari basin, Mission Kakatiya, said, “The project has the capacity to irrigate around 2.5 million acres. This year, we are planning to fulfill target of around 600,000 acres.” He added that though it may be called a minor irrigation project, it serves the purpose of a major one.
The total estimated cost of the project is around Rs 22,000 crore, with a capacity to store 265 tmc (thousand-million cubic ft) of water. According to the state government website, so far, it has approved work on 8,085 tanks at a cost of Rs 2,572.16 crore. The budget provision for financial year 2014-15 was Rs 2,016 crore and for financial year 2015-16 was Rs 2,083.13 crore under minor irrigation. In 2016-17, the total state irrigation budget allocation increased around one and half a times compared to the previous year, but information regarding specific allocations to the scheme is not available. Funding for the project will be shared by the state government, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, the Union government and World Bank.
“Earlier, governments used to publish actual projected costs for each project and how much they spent. Now, they just show how much they spent," said Ramanamurthy, professor at the School of Economics, Hyderabad Central University.
Progress of the project
Mission Kakatiya has been among the most visible government-sponsored projects in villages in the state.
According to official information accessed by Business Standard, till now Rs 1,030 crore has been spent on the project and around 7,000 tanks restored completely, besides increasing their storage capacity. The second phase of work on a similar number is on.
Average annual normal rainfall for Telangana is 905.3 mm, way below the national average of 1,083 mm. The share of the average Southwest Monsoon is about 80 per cent of the total at 713.6 mm. However, in 2014 and 2015, the region received 494.7 mm (-31 per cent) and 611.2 mm (-14 per cent) of rainfall, respectively. This has led to a reduction in the groundwater level and severe drought across the region.
Shakeel Ahmed, Chief Scientist of Aquifier Mapping division and researcher on groundwater hydrology, National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), said, “The average rainfall is around 700 mm and it should rain more than that every monsoon. This is why the water which normally goes runs off, should be stored in some manner.”
Surendra Babu, principal scientist and head of department of soil health management, Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University, said, “Reduction of groundwater has been a phenomena across the country over the past four-five decades, not just in Telangana. Irregular rainfall patterns have meant reduced recharge of ground water."
In 1956-57, the share of water tank irrigation in Telangana was 65 per cent, four times the share of well irrigation at 16 per cent. Subsequently, the situation changed drastically, and the share of water tank irrigation fell continuously, its share dropping to 28 per cent in 1985-86 and reaching 10 per cent by 2012-13. During this period, the share of well irrigation increased to 37 per cent in 1985-86 then to 84 per cent in 2014-15. As a result, most cultivable land has become rain dependent. The government aims to store rainwater and increase the groundwater level through Mission Kakatiya.
Babu said the use of borewells has contributed immensely to this condition. People have now realised it and many are opting for a single crop.
Bhupathiraju said, “Telangana has enough ground water, but we are hugely dependent on it for irrigation. Tank irrigation was neglected and the repair of tanks was not done for five decades.”
For projects of such scale, an independent environmental study and a scientific feasibility study are very important. No such study has been conducted for Mission Kakatiya. The NGRI had proposed to the Telangana government to conduct a value-added study with modern equipment in mid-April. The proposal is still pending.
Ramanamurthy lamented that the lack of scientific studies before commissioning was the norm. “But, a beginning has to be made at some point.”
However, Bhupathiraju has a contrasting view. “The project aims for the restoration of tanks that have existed for about 1,000 years. So, a study is not required for such projects. These are silted tanks. We are silting and using these silted components in the fields. This is helping save a lot on fertilizers, about 30 per cent in some areas. Therefore, it is also an environmentally friendly project.”
Himanshu Thakkar, co-ordinator, South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and people, however, points to the lack of civil participation in the project. “They should have involved the local people because it is traditionally managed by the local people,” said Thakkar.
