Anand Mahindra lauds IAS officer Krishna Bhaskar
Krishna Bhaskar’s team restored around 699 water tanks, of which 450 were replenished within just one year
Karimnagar: Billionaire entrepreneur Anand Mahindra has lauded IAS officer D. Krishna Bhaskar for his remarkable strides in water conservation in Telangana’s Rajanna-Sircilla district. Bhaskar’s strategy, which boosted groundwater levels by six metres in less than four years, has been incorporated into the training curriculum at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, Mahindra referred to Bhaskar’s achievements as “astonishing,” highlighting the urgent need to protect India’s rapidly depleting water resources — particularly crucial for the nation’s agriculture-driven economy. “He gives us hope that none of our problems are insurmountable,” Mahindra wrote, calling Bhaskar his “Monday Motivation.”
When Bhaskar assumed the role of district collector in 2016, he was confronted with severe water shortages in the predominantly drought-prone region. Undeterred, he introduced a series of measures — repairing water tanks, building reservoirs, desilting smaller water bodies, and enhancing overall water storage capacity. These initiatives have driven a 150 per cent uptick in agricultural activity and contributed to cleaner drinking water access under the Mission Bhagiratha project.
The numbers are telling: Bhaskar’s team restored around 699 water tanks, of which 450 were replenished within just one year. Today, his methods are being taught at premier government institutes as a blueprint for effective water resource management.
