Cabinet Sub-Committee holds meeting on desilting and sedimentation management of Irrigation Projects

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], August 19 (ANI): The second Cabinet Sub-Committee meeting on Desilting & Sedimentation management of Irrigation Projects was held at the Telangana Secretariat on Monday.
Telangana Ministers Uttam Kumar Reddy, Jupally Krishna Rao, Tummala Nageswara Rao and other officials took part in the meet.
The Cabinet Sub-Committee has discussed the issues of desiltation process and methodology followed by other states, quantification of silt using satellite images and Bathymetric survey.
Further issues like methodology involved in the segregation of sand and silt, tendering process - "Revenue Generation Model" to be adopted were also discussed.
Discussions were held regarding ensuring safety and environmental compliance during the disposal process of silt/silt mixed sand/sand from the sediment alongwith the responsibilities of the I&CAD Department and Contractor/Agency.
The committee also discussed the advantages of desiltation in the reservoirs and decided on increasing the capacity of the reservoirs, revenue generation to the Government and no expenditure to the Government.
Further, it will also discussed that two committees shall be constituted --a High Power Committee consisting of external experts / from other departments like TGMDC, Pollution Control Board, Fisheries etc. and a technical committee with experts of I&CAD Dept., for hydrology, dam safety and designs.
The Committee directed the officials to make it a workable proposal to ensure wider participation of agencies and taking up more work simultaneously. A robust monitoring system shall be developed.
Desiltation process shall be taken up on a war footing basis. The committee took note of the stay order given by the Supreme Court of India on NGT orders on sand extraction in Manair River and expressed that Environmental clearance is not an issue for taking up the desiltation of reservoirs.
Further, the Committee opined that the revenue generated by the desiltation of reservoirs may be utilised for the maintenance of the dams and reservoirs. (ANI)