Hyderabad: Irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday directed officials to take up, as an urgent statewide priority, and immediately begin works on desiltation of all minor irrigation tanks from village to larger tanks, without waiting for guidelines from the top.Addressing a meeting of irrigation officials at Jal Soudha, the minister instructed the officials to follow the existing desiltation guidelines. “Follow them and start work,” he said, adding that two-month summer window remain for desiltation to restore the water-holding capacity of the tanks, he said.Senior irrigation engineers, members of the Agricultural and Farmer Welfare Commission, and representatives from multiple departments attended the meeting, where minister Uttam made it clear that the formation of tank committees through district administration would be the immediate priority.“Committees must be formed without any delay. Each tank or cluster of local tanks should have a govt-nominated committee with farmers forming the majority, along with local officials and other stakeholders,” Uttam said.Nominations should be finalised immediately on the basis of recommendations from the departments concerned, with clear roles and rules defined through practical guidelines.He expressed his ire over the delay in processing the proposals, though instructions were given to this effect over a month ago. The stabilisation of tanks would include detailed issue identification and mapping of bund problems, sluice issues and tank-specific challenges, using existing departmental inventories as the base.He stressed restoration of the tanks, starting with desiltation, followed by bund strengthening, sluice repairs, catchment development, and also emphasised upstream interventions to reduce fresh silt inflow into the tanks.He insisted on long-term measures for stabilisation through afforestation to prevent soil erosion, and cautioned against over-excavation that removes the critical soil layers and directed strict monitoring so that desiltation does not become a source for unauthorised mining. The minister praised the report and recommendations prepared by Telangana Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Commission, chaired by M Kodanda Reddy, on the status and development of minor irrigation tanks in the state.The recommendations would be forwarded to the Chief minister for further action, he said. He wanted steps for desiltation of Jurala and Musi project by processing the proposals without delay.
