Telangana experts call for overhaul of minor irrigation after merger fallout
An experts' panel in Telangana has recommended restructuring the minor irrigation sector, citing the merger with major irrigation as a failure.
An expert committee constituted by the Telangana Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Commission has submitted a report to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy recommending a comprehensive restructuring of the state's minor irrigation (MI) sector. The panel has called for immediate action to demarcate full tank level (FTL) boundaries of all minor irrigation tanks and remove encroachments.
The committee observed that the merger of the minor irrigation department with the major irrigation department after the formation of Telangana proved disastrous. With 44,170 minor irrigation tanks in the state, the lack of focused supervision and maintenance has severely impacted these smaller water bodies.
According to the report, 90% to 95% of farmers dependent on minor irrigation sources are not receiving water for their crops and are increasingly reliant on borewells. The sources have been badly affected by neglect, siltation, and encroachments, despite being crucial for rural irrigation and groundwater recharge.
The merger in 2020 reduced government focus and responsibility, while water users' associations (WUAs) became defunct. Overlapping departmental responsibilities, reduced water use efficiency due to a lack of engineering oversight, and rising pollution in urban areas have further compounded the problems.
To address these issues, the committee has recommended re-establishing the MI system with small technical units to improve water efficiency. It has also proposed granting clear powers and decision-making authority to Panchayat Raj (PR) bodies and WUAs, and forming command-area-based management systems to integrate minor and major irrigation sources. Improving pump-set efficiency could save an estimated ₹3,000 crore annually in energy consumption.
The panel has also suggested policy support for PR bodies and WUAs to manage MI sources and collect water cess, requiring amendments to the WALTA and PR Acts. It has recommended enacting a separate legislation for the long-term protection of MI sources, along with capacity building for farmers and allocating funds to PR bodies and WUAs for maintenance.