Nandyal Strengthens Water Conservation Infra, Storage Capacity

The campaign is carried out in convergence with various departments, following the principle of “Catch the Rain, Where it Falls, When it Falls” from July 4 to August 4. Through scientific planning, community participation and coordinated implementation, the district is strengthening its water conservation infrastructure and enhancing its capacity to capture and store monsoon runoff.

Scientific planning is undertaken across all 489 Gram Panchayats through field surveys, mapping of priority water bodies, feeder channels and watershed areas, and technical assessments by the concerned departments.

Consultations with local communities and village elders help identify interventions based on local needs and traditional knowledge. The proposed works are placed before the Gram Sabha to ensure transparency and community participation.

Based on this scientific and participatory planning process, the district identifies, sanctions and grounds 2,103 water conservation works, achieving 100 per cent grounding. These interventions are strategically planned to maximise rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge and water storage, thereby strengthening the objectives of the Catch the Rain Campaign.

Under the campaign, 2,691 km of feeder and supply channels are desilted and restored, improving the conveyance of rainwater into tanks and reservoirs. Restoration works are undertaken in 251 Minor Irrigation Tanks, of which 225 works are completed, while the remaining are under progress.

The district has also strengthened its network of 22,221 Farm Ponds, 2,221 Check Dams and 202 Percolation Tanks, significantly enhancing rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge and water availability across the district.

These interventions improve the overall efficiency of the water conservation system and reinforce the district’s preparedness to capture every possible drop of rainfall. The district assesses the additional water storage created through these interventions using technical estimates prepared by the concerned engineering departments.

The restoration of feeder channels and water conservation structures is estimated to restore 3.27 TMC of tank storage capacity, while newly created water conservation structures contribute an additional 0.03 TMC of storage.

By increasing the capacity of tanks and other water bodies to capture and retain monsoon runoff, these scientifically planned interventions significantly strengthen the campaign, improve groundwater recharge, and ensure greater water availability for agriculture, livelihoods and local communities.

The campaign continues to strengthen water conservation efforts across Nandyal district through large-scale desilting of 2,691 km of feeder and supply channels, restoration of 251 Minor Irrigation Tanks, implementation of 2,103 water conservation works, and the revival of thousands of rainwater harvesting structures.

Driven by scientific planning, technical assessment and active community participation, these interventions enhance the district’s capacity to capture, store and recharge rainwater while improving long-term water security and climate resilience.

The district’s integrated approach demonstrates how coordinated action under the campaign is creating sustainable water conservation outcomes and advancing the vision of “Catch the Rain, Where it Falls, When it Falls.”