Watersheds hold key for water security in future: Speakers at meet

Speakers at a meet on watersheds releasing a souvenir in Hyderabad on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: By Arrangement

hyderabad

Speakers at a two-day national symposium on watersheds suggested that water security in the future could be ensured only with the watershed system and proper management of watersheds with the four-waters concept.

Speaking at the symposium jointly organised by Prof. Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University and Dr. M. Channa Reddy Memorial Trust on the occasion of World Water Day on Saturday, former vice-chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and secretary of the Trust M. Shashidhar Reddy said the four-waters concept conceived by water conservation expert T. Hanumantha Rao was best suited for semi-arid areas such as Telangana.

Mr. Shashidhar Reddy stated that late Hanumantha Rao introduced the four-waters concept in watersheds at Gottivaripalli near Zaheerabad in Sangareddy district in 2001. By spending just ₹5,000 per acre, the watershed concept had ensured water for three crops a year and the practice was running successfully even now.

Director (Research) of JNTU M. Balaram suggested finding challenges in the implementation of watersheds and find ways to overcome them to make the concept successful all the time. Further, he stated that involving farmers in the implementation of watersheds by giving them suggestions from time to time would alone make them successful.

Agricultural Engineering Dean of the PJTAU K.V. Ramana Rao said the role of watersheds was key in the efficient management of water and added that protection of the natural resources would also be possible with watersheds concept.

Environmentalist Prof. K. Purushottam Reddy, Director of the Centre for Natural Resources and Environment in the PJTAU K.P. Vani, representatives from several States, village representatives of Gottivaripalli participated and spoke on the first day of the two-day meet.