Central team satisfied with water conservation measures

Team inspects farm ponds, tree plantation, ring trenches, recharge pits and other works at Nunna and Pathapadu
A Central team comprising Jal Shakti Abhiyan Central Nodal Officer B Madhava Rao (Department of Tele Communication Director) and Technical Officer and Scientist Reshma S Raman Pillai have expressed satisfaction with the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain-2024 with the theme ‘Nari Shakti se Jal Shakti’ in NTR district.
The Central team arrived in NTR district for a three-day visit on Monday. On the first day, they made a field visit to Nunna and Pathapaddu villages of Vijayawada Rural mandal and inspected the digging of the farm pond and ring trench in the Mango Gardens, aimed at improving the groundwater levels and conserving water.
During the field visit, the Central team interacted with the farmers and beneficiaries to get feedback on the ongoing schemes. Also, they asked the beneficiaries about the implementation and benefits of the scheme. The team members, along with District Water and Management Agency (DWAMA) Project Director J Sunitha, District Panchayat Officer (DPO) Siva Prasad Yadav, and Rural Water Supply (RWS) Superintending Engineer (SE) Ramana, inspected the canal plantation, drinking water tanks, and recharge pits.
Prior to the field visit, the team members held a meeting with NTR District Collector and the programme’s district coordinator Dr G Srijana. She explained the MGNREGS and Jal Shakti Abhiyan works and their progress through a PowerPoint presentation.
She said that with the collaboration of MGNREGS, Water Resources, Forest, Agriculture, Horticulture, Rural Water Supply, Ground Water and other departments, the scheme is being successfully implemented in the district. As a result, rainwater can be conserved from the farm ponds and recharge the groundwater. Farm ponds and ring trenches have been dug in small and marginal farmers’ agricultural lands, she explained.
Further, she said 4,804 works worth Rs.60.88 crore have been taken up under the scheme and all these works are progressing. When compared to the 2022-23 financial year, poor rainfall was registered up to May. Due to excess use of groundwater, the water level dipped to 0.65 metres in Vissannapeta, Reddigudem, and Mylavaram mandals. In the meantime, Jal Shakti Abhiyan’s ‘Nari Shakti se Jal Shakti’ proved to be useful for the upland areas, she said.
Later, Central Nodal Officer B Madhava Rao expressed satisfaction over Jal Shakti Abhiyan’s implementation in NTR district. He commended the district officials for conducting geotagging for all works. During the interaction with the farmers, he enquired about the benefits of the form ponds and ring trenches. He noted the opinions of the farmers regarding the scheme.
Technical Officer Reshma S Raman Pillai said that Jall Shakti Abhiyan is implementing the scheme under the theme ‘Catch the Rain’ to recharge groundwater. She appreciated the district officer for effectively implementing the programmes. One of the beneficiaries, Sambasiva Reddy, said that the results of the farm ponds could be seen next year. The ponds are really useful for the rythus of upland areas, he said.