Continued from P1

He pointed out that severe flooding in Punjab last year inundated 16 of the state's 22 districts, forcing the government to spend nearly Rs 2,000 crore on flood-related damages and compensation. A substantial portion of such expenditure could have been avoided through timely preventive measures, including systematic de-siltation and restoration of drainage and storage capacities, he opined.

Uttam reviewed issues being faced by agencies engaged in the de-siltation of the Kaddam Project and assessed the progress of works at the Lower Manair Dam (LMD) and Mid Manair Reservoir (MMR). He directed officials to come up with practical solutions to overcome operational bottlenecks and accelerate de-siltation efforts. He instructed the Chief Engineers of the Sri Ram Sagar Project (SRSP) and the Nizam Sagar Project to undertake a comprehensive assessment of de-siltation requirements in their respective projects and submit recommendations on feasible measures for restoring lost storage capacity.

The Minister also cited the de-siltation of the Mangalam Dam in Palakkad district of Kerala as a successful example. The project, undertaken in 2017, demonstrated how scientifically planned de-siltation could simultaneously address reservoir sedimentation and generate economic benefits through the utilisation of excavated material. He said Telangana should study such successful models and adapt them to suit local conditions.