Cheaper Four Waters Concept Is Ideal than Big Irrigation Projects, Says Shashidhar Reddy

Hyderabad: The Dr. M. Channa Reddy Memorial Trust has called for a fundamental shift away from costly large-scale irrigation projects toward sustainable watershed development based on the Four Waters Concept. The trust’s secretary Marri Shashidhar Reddy said that massive dams and river-linking schemes are no longer essential for ensuring India’s water security or agricultural growth.

In a statement, he said the Four Waters Concept — developed by the late engineer T. Hanumantha Rao — provides a low-cost, scalable model that greatly enhances water availability. When implemented with discipline, the model enabled irrigation for three crops a year, raised groundwater levels close to the surface and drought-proofed entire regions — all without heavy infrastructure spending. Past initiatives in Telangana and Rajasthan demonstrated these results, he noted.

Shashidhar Reddy released a concept note on the eve of the 29th death anniversary of Dr Channa Reddy, a former chief minister of united Andhra Pradesh.

Shashidhar Reddy contrasted the efficiency of the Four Waters Concept with that of major projects. He said the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, which promised irrigation for 36 lakh acres at a cost of over Rs 1 lakh crore, would support only one crop per year. In comparison, applying the Four Waters Concept to the same area would cost just Rs 5,400 crore and support three crops annually.

Similarly, projects such as the proposed Kodangal Lift Scheme and river-linking plans under the National River Linking Project (NRLP) reflect disproportionate costs and limited benefits when compared with the widespread adoption of the Four Waters approach.

At the national scale, NRLP’s 30 proposed river links are expected to cost around Rs 15 lakh crore and irrigate only one crop per year on approximately 4.5 crore acres. In contrast, the Four Waters Concept could cover the same area for three crops a year at less than half the cost — about Rs 67,000 crore — while avoiding the environmental damage, social displacement and delays often associated with mega-projects.

He said India’s water security and agricultural future depend on efficient and affordable watershed development, not on expensive and complex infrastructure. “Upholding Dr. Channa Reddy’s legacy, the trust will continue advocating for this transformative vision to achieve a sustainable, drought-resilient Viksit Bharat,” Shashidhar Reddy said.