The Telangana government will run a statewide water conservation programme from January to June 2027, covering every village and combining restoration of local water resources with rural employment under the existing employment guarantee framework.
The programme will be jointly planned by the irrigation and panchayat raj departments, with a comprehensive action plan to be prepared before the next monsoon. Irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy announced the plan during a review meeting and said it was intended to address the impact of El Nino conditions while creating durable water assets.
The initiative will primarily mobilise villagers, particularly agricultural labourers. Officials will use the existing 60:40 funding arrangement for the works, with additional state funds provided wherever required, according to the minister.
The government has identified 355 categories of works for possible implementation. The main focus will be the restoration of existing water sources, including minor irrigation tanks, village ponds, feeder channels and canals. The plan also includes the desilting and rejuvenation of these assets, as well as the restoration of traditional water-harvesting structures.
The proposed works will cover repairs to damaged sluice gates and tank infrastructure, removal of accumulated silt and vegetation, and measures to increase water-storage capacity. These interventions are aimed at improving the functioning of existing water assets rather than relying only on the creation of new infrastructure.
The programme will also include the construction of field channels through convergence between the irrigation and rural development departments. The minister said these channels would improve the utilisation of existing irrigation facilities and support agricultural productivity.
Check dams across smaller rivers, streams and local watercourses are another component of the plan. These structures are intended to slow water run-off, support groundwater recharge and improve local water availability. The government has also directed officials to examine groundwater-recharge initiatives in Rajasthan and Maharashtra and identify practices that could be replicated in Telangana.
The proposed arrangement places multiple departments at the centre of implementation. Alongside irrigation and rural development, the minister called for an integrated approach involving groundwater, energy and other departments. The stated objective is to coordinate village-level works with irrigation infrastructure and groundwater improvement rather than treating them as separate programmes.
The January-to-June schedule places much of the proposed work before the next monsoon. The action plan is expected to determine how the 355 categories of works are prioritised, funded and executed across villages. The government has not provided, in the announcement, a total budget, village-wise allocation or a detailed implementation timetable.
The programme’s immediate administrative milestone is the preparation of the comprehensive action plan by the irrigation and panchayat raj departments. Its stated focus will remain the restoration of water sources, improvement of storage and irrigation infrastructure, groundwater recharge and employment generation through village-level works.
