Hyderabad|India|March'2010: The Chief Minister Dr. K. Rosaiah said that Micro irrigation projects will be put on a fast track to irrigate 25 lakh acres of land in the State in the next five years. In a land mark initiative to expedite the lift irrigation programme, he said the State Government will take up lift irrigation projects on the 'micro irrigation model' to irrigate 25 lakh acres of land in inaccessible terrain at a cost of Rs.3,000 crores. The new model is a high efficiency model with optimum use of 'every drop of water'.

The Chief Minister will lay foundation stone for the major Mahankaligudem Lift Irrigation scheme in Nalgonda District on 21-03-2010. He also had a brief discussion with Minister for Minor Irrigation Smt. V. Sunitha Laxma Reddy and other officials, before leaving for Chennai on the progress of the minor irrigation and micro irrigation projects under the Jalayagnam programme. He said the government will borrow Rs.2,500 crore from the JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) on a five-year funding for the project. Dr. Rosaiah was informed by the officials that the new model of project implementation would achieve high efficiency in water utilization under minor irrigation at 15,000 acre per TMC of water. The model entailed linking up of all existing bores with drip and use of sub project of approximate 1.000 acres with high efficiency and high productivity and non conventional energy for sub projects.

Dr Rosaiah was informed by the officials that Under the proposed minor irrigation schemes, eight projects covering 20.37 lakh acres are located in the Telangana region. Six projects are located in Rayalaseema irrigating 2.55 lakh acres and one project in coastal Andhra irrigating two lakh acres. The project model of micro irrigation involved exploitation of drip technology with solar energy, use of 25 per cent ayacut coverage under micro irrigation using high head of water, linking up of around 500 sub projects with Miro irrigation, solar energy and agri-business strategy, provide management support for three years to each new project till stabilization, to apply for carbon credits for energy efficiency on ground water sources and sub projects.

The officials explained to the Chief Minister that under the scheme, nine lakh acres will be under pipe conveyance system, two lakh acres under canal drip system, four and half lakh acres under bore well drip (20 per cent area in the State) and nine lakh acres under lined field channels. The officials said that under the old model the proposed cost would be Rs.30,000 crore and 4,000 MU of energy to cover 62 lakh acres as against the new model which would cover 25 lakh acres at just Rs.3,000 crores.

Dr. Rosaish was told by the officials that between 2004-09 under minor irrigation new ayacut of 5.7 lakhs acres has been achieved besides revival of 2.2 lakh acres of defunct of lift irrigation and stabilization of 8 lakh acres at a cost of Rs.2,700 crore. During 2009-10 new ayacut of 7.44 lakh acres and stabilization of 9.14 acres is taken up at Rs.3423 crore. Thus under the minor irrigation, the total acreage cultivated which has reached 23 lakh acres by 2009 is expected to go up to 40-45 lakh acres by 2014. Under the new approach of merging micro irrigation and minor irrigation and linkage of sub projects, Government proposes to take benefit of RIDF and AIBP assistance for modernization which would get 90 per cent grants. As per current status under minor irrigation alone the ongoing works get only 28 percent grant from Government of India (AIBP & RRR schemes) and 31 per cent loans from JICA/World Bank and RIDF.

The Chief Minister said that in the next three years, the Government proposes to modernize 28 medium irrigation tanks with 3.71 lakh acres at a cost of Rs.581 crore. Similarly it has taken up construction of 55 new minor irrigation tanks in Telangana area at Rs.229 crore to irrigate 42,000 acres. All these projects are proposed for JICA funding. Under World Bank funding and 25 percent grant from Government of India, the State has also taken up modernization of 2,800 tanks to irrigate 6.5 lakh acres. The State Government also proposes to take up modernisation of 4,000 tanks spending Rs.1500 cr. to irrigate 10 lakh acres with GoI funding.

Dr. Rosaiah was explained that a study by FAO has commended the project design and approach for World Bank funding of 40 projects with an objective of strengthening community based institutions, tank systems improvements, livelihood support services for tank system users and project management-institutional arrangement and well-defined responsibilities at all levels. The FAO study revealed that stake holders role has been well defined in the tank system, robust participatory systems and internal monitoring and evaluation were in place in the realm of minor and micro irrigation sectors in the State. Under the Andhra Pradesh community based tank management project 2,100 Minor irrigation tanks to cover 6.37 lakh acres have been taken up for rehabilitation between 2007-12, for restoration of 2.5 lakh hetares of land spread over 312 mandals in 21 districts.

The Chief Minister said that the government proposes to bring 9.44 lakh acres under minor irrigation projects and another 14.5 lakh acres under modernization of minor irrigation schemes. The budget for five years for Minor irrigation is likely to be Rs.9,650 crore of which Rs.3,500 crore is grant from Government of India (2009-14), loans including the RIDF would be Rs.2,650 crores. The State Government also proposes to allocate Rs.3,500 crore for the five year period under the State plan.

Reachout's News Bureau
March' 2010