Urging DWMA officials to raise awareness, he called for public participation in groundwater improvement efforts.
Kurnool: Social welfare minister Dola Veeranjaneya Swamy inaugurated the Jala Shakti Kendram in Ongole on Saturday, stating that it aims to address drought conditions in Prakasam district.
He emphasised that farm ponds and check dams are being constructed in drought-prone areas and that steps are being taken to store rainwater through rooftop harvesting, cisterns, and crop ponds.
He highlighted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu are prioritising groundwater recharge and stressed the importance of water conservation.
Urging DWMA officials to raise awareness, he called for public participation in groundwater improvement efforts.
The minister noted that climate imbalance and deforestation have worsened water scarcity, making conservation initiatives crucial. As per district data, groundwater levels are critically low in 93 villages across 12 mandals, and necessary measures are being implemented to address the issue.
Accompanied by district collector A. Thameem Ansaria, the minister performed Bhoomi Pooja for a farm pond in Kanumalla village, Singarayakonda mandal. He also inaugurated a farm pond constructed at a cost of ₹2.30 lakh in Singarayakonda.
He said that the Jala Shakti Kendram will resolve water scarcity across the district. Recalling the Neeru Chettu programme launched by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in 2017-18, he pointed out that large-scale water conservation efforts were undertaken in Kanumalla tank but were later discontinued. The government is now reviving these initiatives.
Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan launched this programme in Kurnool district, and the government is encouraging farmers to actively participate through the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme to construct farm ponds in their fields.
The minister emphasised that more farm pond constructions will be sanctioned based on farmer participation and urged people to support the government’s water conservation efforts.
District collector A. Thameem Ansaria said the Jala Shakti Kendram has been established at the DWMA office in collaboration with the irrigation, rural water supply, and groundwater departments and added that a target has been set to construct 30,000 borewells and 9,500 farm ponds within next 3-4 months, with efforts underway to complete these projects within the stipulated time frame.
DWMA project director Joseph Kumar, RWS SE Bala Shankara Rao, groundwater department deputy director Vidya Sagar, social welfare deputy director Lakshma Naik, and other officials participated in the programme.
