Write Comment     |     E-Mail To a Friend     |     Facebook     |     Twitter     |     Print

Udupi, June 10: The 7th Minor Irrigation Census, conducted by the Union Ministry of Water Resources to formulate irrigation policies, will be held from May to the end of October, Deputy Commissioner Dr K Vidya Kumari said.
She was speaking after presiding over the District Level Coordination Committee meeting on the 7th Minor Irrigation Census and Watershed Census at the Deputy Commissioner’s office complex in Manipal today.

She said that the Minor Irrigation Census and Watershed Census will be helpful in formulating effective plans and policies for all types of minor irrigation projects in the district, collecting data on comprehensive and reliable sources of water resources, their utilisation, management and revenue collection in the future, and giving shape to new projects.

She said that in the enumeration of watersheds, data will be collected irrespective of the extent of contour of all natural and man-made water bodies, including information on village and urban groundwater schemes such as dug wells, various borewells, water schemes such as surface runoff and irrigation schemes.

All sources of water used for irrigation or other purposes such as industries, fisheries, drinking water, recreational activities, religious groundwater rejuvenation, agricultural ponds, etc. will be considered in this census.

She said that workshops should be organised at the district and taluk levels for the village accountants and the employees of the urban local body officials involved in the implementation of the census and they should be trained. Regularly Select 10 per cent of the plan, physically interview them, and verify the genuineness of the quality and coverage.

As per the 6th Minor Irrigation Census data, the district has 18,290 ground water schemes, 181 surface water drainage schemes and 338 earthen irrigation schemes in 257 villages. Groundwater projects may be more in these days. She said that the data of the census of every minor irrigation and drainage in the district should be compiled without any error.

The meeting was attended by Additional Deputy Commissioner Abid Gadyala, Assistant Commissioner Rashmi S, Mangalore Small Irrigation Division Engineer Alwyn Agera, various district level officials, tahsildars and others.