Hyderabad: Mission Kakatiya, the TS initiative to revive tanks, is showing a positive impact on groundwater in local areas, according to data collected by the state.
The groundwater department collected data at 50 water basins statewide, with each basin having a varying number of tanks in May 2015, before work on Mission Kakatiya started. The department conducts regular analysis of the groundwater level data obtained from these 50 basins and using a mathematical formula arrives at the impact desiltation works conducted as part of MK at the tanks have had on the groundwater level.
The data analysis has been conducted till Sept-ember 2015 and as per the figures obtained from the groundwater department positive impact in groundwater due to desiltation works. Ranged between the lowest, 0.19 metre at B.Vellemle water basin in Nalgonda and the highest of 0.97 metre at Husnabad water basin in Karimn-agar. The resulting rise in groundwater storage levels varies from 2.5 hectare metres to 13.4 hectare metres, totalling 74.42 hectare metres in the 12,200-hectare study area.
The poor monsoon last year played spoilsport: Normal rainfall would have resulted in a maximum rise of up to 1.5 metres in groundwater levels in the areas around the tanks. Due to scanty rainfall and excess use of groundwater, Mission Kakatiya did not have any impact in Medak whereas in Nizamabad, Mahb-ubnagar and Ranga Reddy the groundwater levels actually fell. These four districts had the lowest rainfall in TS: minus-52.78 per cent in Mahbubnagar, minus-48.75 in Medak, minus-34.39 in RR and minus-25.16 per cent in Medak. The analysis of water levels to analyse the impact of Mission Kaka-tiya will be conducted regularly for five years by the groundwater department which will cover more tanks, a senior official of the department said.
