Hyderabad: Rejuvenation of both Krishna and Godavari rivers is crucial to meet the drinking and irrigation water needs of Telangana State, said Telangana agriculture minister S. Niranjan Reddy.
Participating in the stakeholders’ consultation meeting for preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) of Godavari and Krishna rivers here in the city, the minister said due to changes in the climate water scarcity has been increasing globally year by year.
“It is unfortunate that the country is looking at other issues when it is facing acute shortage of drinking water and also unnecessary use of plastic. The Krishna and Godavari waters have been polluted by discharge of sewage into the rivers,” he said.
While expressing his happiness at the Centre’s decision to rejuvenate both Krishna and Godavari rivers, he emphasised the need to improve water quality through sustainable interventions rather than temporary measures.
Emphasising the need to protect these rivers from environmental challenges, Mr Reddy quoted Mahatma Gandhi when he said, “Nature provides for all our needs but not for our greed. We must come up with an action plan by involving all stakeholders to protect both the rivers.”
The meeting was jointly organised by the Institute of Forest Biodiversity (IFB) and Institute of Wood Science and Technology (IWST) in collaboration with the Telangana State Forest Department.
After the meeting, talking to this correspondent, Mr Reddy said that the DPR would be prepared by the Institute of Forest Biodiversity (IFB) with the collaboration of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests, Science and Technology, and the Agriculture, Horticu-lture and Forest departments of Telangana.
The project will be funded by the Centre and the state government will execute it.
