IAS officer and Rajanna-Sircilla district collector Krishna Bhaskar has set a model by taking measures that yielded results in reviving the underwater sources in the drone prone region of Rajanna-Sircilla in Telangana. At a time when the water level is getting depleted each year, causing uncertainties about the future of agriculture, industries and even drinking water, the measure taken by the IAS officer has won the expert accolades. The reloading of the underwater source is expected to help many in confronting the drought seasons.
Mr Bhaskar who became the first collector of the district after the Telangana”s origin in 2016, could increase the water level by six per cent. The 36-year-old collector says that water scarcity has been an unending issue for the district prompted him to take measures to find solution.
Speaking about the measures, the officer said that he upgraded tanks to have a piped water system, dug trenches and built capacity and space for water preservation in addition to the land acquisition of reservoirs and destilation of water storage bodies to enhance the groundwater.
Describing the measures he took to raise the groundwater level, Mr Bhaskar says the Sri Rajarajeswara Reservoir became the biggest reservoir in the state after the dam with a capacity of 27 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) became operation after several years of legal complexities. He says the operation of the Annapurna reservoir also began after completing the work in one and a half years.
The destilation was done for multiple small tanks and filled in their proximity to the reservoir access, says the officer adding that such minor tanks help support to maintain the water level. Many water tanks are said to have been revived which are now managed by the local people, Mr Bhaskar said to news portal Better India.
Combined with all the measures, the groundwater level in the district rose to six meters and the figures water confirmed by survey authorities, says the collector. Talking about the result, Mr Bhaskar said that the cultivation and agricultural activities increased by 150 % as a result of the stable groundwater.