Andhra Pradesh

The homepage of the Groundwater Directorate of Andhra Pradesh is available below. It contains maps and statistics about well population, groundwater irrigation, categorisation of basins, geology and piezometric network and groundwater levels.

The Andhra Pradesh State of the Environment Report is available at the Environmental Information System (ENVIS) cell of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) here. 

This report presents the proceedings of the international workshop and brainstorming session on “Evaluation of Cloud Seeding Operations in Andhra Pradesh” organized by the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences and Weather Modification Technologies (CASWMT) and Jawahar Lal Technological University (JNTU) in order to take stock of the situation, in particular the successes and failures arising out of f

Forwarded to the Portal by: Nitya Jacob, UN

Dr Kurien Baby, District Collector of Trissur, Kerala, and Solution Exchange Water Community are organizing a regional meeting to discuss the effects of the Mazhapolima program. The dates are 16-17 June 2009, and it will be held in Trissur.

Background

Kerala has among the highest well densities in India, and 71% of the population depends on them for drinking water. The aggregate household investment in the state on wells is pegged at Rs 1800 crore and they have a combined yield potential of 6.6 million cu m per day. That works out to a water availability of 197 litres of water per capita per day (lpcd), well above the government's prescribed norm of 140 lpcd. These wells are threatened. Despite an annual rainfall of 3,000 mm, 70% go dry in summer. The surface runoff is heavy, and therefore groundwater levels in several blocks have fallen sharply, and coupled with saline intrusion at an accelerated pace, have led to water quality problems.

Tamil Nadu farmers mangement of irrigation systems act, 2000

The act provides for farmer's participation in the management of irrigation systems and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. The act provides for the delineation of Water Users Association area on a hydraulic basis, which may be administratively viable. Every Water Users Associations area shall be divided into territorial constituencies, which shall not be less than four, but shall not be more than ten, as may be prescribed.

The Andhra Pradesh Water, Land and Trees Act, 2002 repealed the APWALTA Ordinance as well as the AP Ground Water (Regulation for Drinking Water Purposes) Act, 1996. Under this Act an Authority has been constituted at the State, District and Mandal level and administrators for the same were to be appointed.

The modalities for the same appointment of the administrator, terms of office of the nominated members, resignation, removal from authority, allowances, constitution of the District and Mandal authority, meetings of the State, District and Mandal authorities have been worked out.

This act was legislated in 1997 to create the Andhra Pradesh Water Resources Development Corporation for promotion and operation of irrigation projects, command area development and schemes for drinking water and industrial water supply to harness the water of rivers of the state of Andhra Pradesh and for related matters including flood control. 

This presentation describes the efforts undertaken by ITC Bhadrachalan at water conservation. The company has chosen energy management, environmental & waste management and social & farm forestry as major focus areas for CSR.

Specific processes include recycling/reuse of paper mill back water for dilution of bleached pulp and unbleached tower as well as for pulp slushing; of recausticising plant cooling and sealing water to clarifloculator; reduction in DM water consumption due to increase in process condensate recovery; arresting water piping leakages including fire hydrant piping by clamping; and recycling of paper machine primary clarifier outlet water for miscellaneous uses. Specific water consumption trends show a decrease from 183 cu m/tonne in 1997-'98 to 60.7 cu m/tonne in 2006-'07.

This paper published on the International Environmental Law Research Centre (IELRC) site examines the trajectory in debates demanding reforms within the irrigation sector in India and compares it to the reality of the reforms carried out by the State.

Based on this, the paper argues that legal reforms to the irrigation sector are long overdue, but the suitability of the framework adopted by the Andhra Pradesh Government, premised as it is on the “Participatory Irrigation Management” model, needs critical evaluation.