Hyderabad: Telangana secured the top national position in the National Water Awards, as it achieved the highest rank in the Jal Sanchay – Jan Bhagidari category. The Union Ministry of Jal Shakti confirmed that the state completed 5,20,362 water conservation works under the 2024 initiative. These works included rooftop rainwater harvesting and the revival of water bodies. Moreover, the programme encouraged steady community involvement in every district, which strengthened local participation.
Hon’ble President Droupadi Murmu presented the awards on November 18 to states, districts and institutions recognised for their performance. The Ministry announced 100 awards across categories involving states, districts, municipal bodies, NGOs, industries and nodal officers. Additionally, each zone was required to complete at least 10,000 artificial recharge and storage structures. Consequently, states executed large conservation efforts within the targeted schedule. Furthermore, the multi-tier award system helped motivate districts to expand their work output.
Telangana’s sweep in National Water Awards district rankings
The National Water Awards offered financial grants of ₹2 crore for Category 1, ₹1 crore for Category 2 and ₹25 lakh for Category 3. Telangana dominated the Southern Zone’s District Category 1 and secured all top three positions. Adilabad earned the highest rank, while Nalgonda followed next and Mancherial gained the third rank. Therefore, the state received ₹6 crore from this section. Moreover, the awards highlighted the district-level coordination that enabled rapid implementation.
Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board secured the second rank in the municipal corporation category, and it also received ₹2 crore for its conservation work within GHMC limits. In Category 2, Warangal, Nirmal and Jangaon achieved the top three positions and won ₹1 crore each. Furthermore, Bhadradri Kothagudem secured the first rank in Category 3, while Mahabubnagar obtained the third rank, and both received ₹25 lakh. As a result, multiple districts gained national recognition across categories.
Officials recognised under National Water Awards
Several Telangana officers received national recognition for coordinating conservation activities. A. Satish, Nodal Officer from the Central Water Commission for eight districts, earned a national award. Additionally, other recipients included Dr. Srijana, IAS; K. Ashok Kumar Reddy; Rajarshi Shah, IAS; J. Srinivas; Kumar Deepak, IAS; Dr. Satya Sharada, IAS; Abhilash Abhinav, IAS; Rizwan Basha Shaik, IAS; Jitesh V. Patil, IAS; and B. Viziendira Boyi, IAS. Their work, moreover, strengthened district-level monitoring and improved project delivery.