The State of Odisha was honored with the prestigious 4th National Water Awards, 2022 today for its exceptional achievements in the conservation and management of water resources. Anu Garg, the Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary of Water Resources, received the award on behalf of Odisha from the Vice President of India, in the presence of the Minister of Jal Shakti, at a ceremony organized by the Ministry of Jal Shakti in New Delhi’s Vigyan Bhawan. This recognition is a testament to the outstanding efforts of Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik, 5T Secretary VK Pandian, and the entire team of Odisha.
Additionally, Ganjam district was also acknowledged as the Best District in the country for its efficient management of water resources. Dibya Jyoti Parida, the Collector of Ganjam district, received the award during the ceremony.
The Department of Water Resources in Odisha has made significant progress in recent years in achieving sustainable development and effective management of water resources. Through the creation of additional irrigation facilities spanning 3.2 lakh hectares, over four lakh farmers have been provided with water security. Major projects such as the Lower Indra and Upper Indravati Lift Canal, 61 Mega Lift Irrigation Projects, 2833 Community LIPs, and 22,500 Deep Bore Wells have been successfully completed, ensuring inclusiveness both geographically and socially. Long-standing issues related to the Subarnarekha Irrigation Projects have been resolved, resulting in irrigation facilities being extended to 32,000 hectares. By implementing underground pipelines in the distribution systems of all categories of irrigation projects, the irrigation efficiency of these projects has increased by more than 20%.
To promote water resource conservation, Odisha has constructed 46 In-stream Storage Structures across various rivers, conserving 49,650 hectare-meters of water with an investment of Rs 11,700 crore. Furthermore, the state has witnessed an increase in groundwater resources from 15.57 billion cubic meters in 2017 to 17.79 billion cubic meters in 2022, thanks to various groundwater conservation measures. Under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan, extensive micro water conservation activities have been undertaken throughout the state.
The Department has also implemented a range of IT initiatives to enhance transparency and transformation. These include the introduction of GoWater (Water ERP) for irrigation management, project monitoring, and flood forecasting; PROMISe for expediting procurement work; e-CAD application software for tracking CAD and PIM activities; Ama Jalashaya portal, which covers all water bodies for planning multiple-purpose water usage; PINSYS, a robust database of WR Engineers for effective HRM; and WaterDox, a web-enabled interface to store documents and legacy data of the Department in digital form for official purposes.
The involvement of Pani Panchayats in water management and women in water governance has played a crucial role in the success of the Department’s endeavors.
Prasanta Patnaik