MOTHER NATURE Mother Nature September 2017 | Page 24

Mother Nature Aug /Sep 2017
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IMPORTANCE OF THE TANKS IN TELANGANA
Tanks have been the life line of Telangana owing to the state’s geographical positioning. The
people of the state are highly dependent on the tanks which are spread across all the 10 districts.
The topography and rainfall pattern in Telangana have made tank irrigation an ideal type of
irrigation by storing and regulating water flow for agricultural use.
Construction of tanks in Telangana has been an age old activity since pre Satavahana era. During the Kakatiya era,
the construction of tanks was carried out with utmost technical expertise. Tanks such as Ramappa, Pakhala,
Laknavaram, Ghanapuram, Bayyaram which were built by Kakatiyas resemble seas and they greatly helped agriculture
and overall development and prosperity of the Kakatiya kingdom.
This vision and legacy of Kakatiyas were carried forward by Qutubshahis and Asafjahis who ruled this region for
centuries. Hundreds of big and small tanks were built in Telangana region during their rule. Government desires to
uphold the vision of Kakatiyas which envisages revival and restoration of Minor Irrigation Sources in Telangana
State.
Tank irrigation has huge bearing on generation of rural employment, poverty reduction and agricultural growth. The
sheer size of command area under tank irrigation makes it a large center of agricultural production and provides a
critical opportunity for commercial agriculture through market linkages.
IRRIGATION POLICY OF THE COMBINED STATE OF A.P
Infact, the A.P. irrigation policy, at the instance of Andhra leadership coming from Coastal Andhra, has given rise to
uneven development. It emphasized on the major irrigation, whereas the alluvial plains irrigated by the tanks have
remained largely insignificant. This irrigation policy resulted in the destruction of age-old water conservation systems
with chains of tank networks. The successive Governments successfully ignored the maintenance and development
of tanks and allowed them to face extinction by way of siltation, breaches, encroachments etc. With the extinction
of tank system, the self-sufficient villages of Telangana have become drought prone areas.
Today the drought is manifested in every facet of human life and it is particularly so with the rural poor. The exodus
of people from rural areas of Telangana to Hyderabad and other far off places has made their lives vulnerable. This
has also proliferated the squatter settlements and slums in the urban areas. The Krishna, Godavari, Musi and
Manjira rivers traverse through the semi-arid lands of Telangana districts especially Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Medak,
Ranga Reddy, Nalgonda and Mahabubnagar. But large quantities of water from these rivers are diverted to subsist
the industrial, drinking and other needs of Hyderabad and irrigation needs of Andhra.
Realizing the importance of reclamation of tanks for growth in the state, the Government of Telangana State has
taken up the programme of restoring the minor irrigation sources under the title Mission Kakatiya (Mana Ooru Mana
Cheruvu). The mission aims at retrieving the lost glory of minor irrigation in the state with community participation for
ensuring sustainable water security.
In July 2014 Irrigation Department, Govt of Telangana has carried out for the first
time, the census of Minor Irrigation sources in Telangana, which include M.I tanks
constructed and maintained by Irrigation Dept., M.I Tanks constructed by
Panchayat Raj Dept. and later transferred to Irrigation Dept., Percolation Tanks,
Forest Tanks, Private Kuntas, Anicuts and Check dams. As per the enumeration,
the total number of tanks is found to be around 46,531. The irrigation department
has planned to restore all the 46,531 minor irrigation sources in the state in next
five years, taking up 20% of the tanks each year.