Hyderabad: Dr M. Channa Reddy Memorial Trust organised a roundtable conference on the 'Four-Water Concept,' a proven watershed development model, proposed by Late T. Hanumanth Rao in Vikarabad on Wednesday.
The event, called for sustainable solutions to address the district’s water issues and contribute to the proposed Musi Riverfront Development project, saw participants who advocated for the implementation of Hanumanth Rao's Four-Water Concept.
The trust questioned the Rs 7,000-crore Kodangal Lift Scheme, which aims to irrigate one lakh acres at a cost ofRs 7 lakh per acre, suggested instead a watershed programme costing just Rs 15,000 per acre. This approach, they argued, could revitalise agriculture in Vikarabad and boost the water flow in the Musi River, which originates in the district.
Assembly Speaker and Vikarabad MLA G. Prasad Kumar assured full support for the trust’s proposal, stating that such initiatives could bring much-needed relief to the district.
Elaborating on this proposal, Chevella MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, environmentalist and member of the trust Prof. Purushotham Reddy and experts from WAPCOS, Ministry of Jal Shakti, also shared insights on leveraging technology for effective watershed management.
A presentation was given on Hanumanth Rao’s model, which showed how it has been operational at Gottigaripalli village in Zaheerabad since 2001, has consistently supported three crops annually. It showed that despite its demonstrated success, it has received little attention in Telangana. Rajasthan, however, adopted the concept between 2013 and 2018 and has improved groundwater levels.
The trust also proposed implementing the concept in the Musi River sub-basin to enhance its flow as part of the Musi project.
