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Meagre finances Severe financial constraints have been a major factor leading to the decline of tanks. The maintenance expenditure on the tanks remained at Rs. 1.50 per acre until July 1966, when the deteriorating state of tanks and tank irrigation forced the government to raise it to Rs. 3.50 per acre. But the rot had already begun and despite the repeated revisions in the rate since 1974, ultimately reaching Rs.20 per acre in 1984, the declining trend could not be arrested. Regarding the conservation of water stored in tanks, the Committee on Plan Projects (1960) made two important proposals. One related to the reduction of evaporation losses and the second to the minimising of transpiration losses. Taking into consideration the temperature variations in the state, the evaporation losses were estimated to range between 115 - 385 cm. The Committee observed that acetyl alcohol compounds would reduce evaporation losses by 60 percent, and suggested research work on similar lines to find cheaper substitutes for use in conserving tank water. Further, in order to minimise the area of submergence, the Committee suggested a programme of desilting - cum - reclamation. Regarding transpiration, it pointed out to the need to devise suitable ways and means to counter weed growth and save the water from being lost. There is no indication that the Andhra Pradesh Government did anything on these lines, except pointing out in 1955-56 that it had been undertaking a desilting - cum restoration scheme on six typical tanks. |
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