Andhra Pradesh stood third in the National Water Awards for 2018 behind Maharashtra and Gujarat, as part of the awards instituted by the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation in 2007. In different categories for districts, Anantapur, Kurnool and Kadapa also won awards in the South Region.
The unified National Water Awards were instituted to encourage the stakeholders adopt a holistic approach towards water resources management, a release said.
While Anantapur stood first in South India in the Groundwater Recharge category, Kamareddy district in Telangana took the second spot. In the Revival of River category, Kurnool district got the top place followed by Pathanamthitta in Kerala.
Among the aspirational districts (classified by the Niti Aayog) in the Groundwater Recharge category, Visakhapatnam stood second behind Baran (Rajasthan).
Among the aspirational districts Kadapa stood first in the Revival of River category. The Department of Geology, Kakatiya University, Warangal, was adjudged the best Institution for Usage of Campus.
Among the Welfare Associations, the J.P. Nagar Welfare Association in Visakhapatnam stood third behind the ones in Bengaluru and Chennai.
Sri Varahalakshmi Narasimha Dewasthanam, Simhachalam, was declared the best religious organisation for using its premises for water conservation.
Rainwater harvesting
The Groundwater Augmentation Awards and National Water Awards encourage all stakeholder including NGOs, gram panchayats, urban local bodies, Water User Associations, institutions, corporate sector, individuals etc. to adopt innovative practices in groundwater augmentation by rainwater harvesting and artificial recharge, promote water use efficiency, recycle & re-use of water and create awareness through people’s participation in targeted areas.