Vijayawada:Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to resume work on the Chintalapudi Lift Irrigation Project in November after receiving all environmental clearances. He also set December 2028 as the deadline for completing 36 priority irrigation projects across Andhra Pradesh.
Naidu reviewed the performance of the water resources department at his camp office on Friday, spending more than two hours on the sector despite engagements related to the ongoing urban local body elections. With a cyclone threatening heavy rainfall in the state, he directed officials to take precautionary measures and ensure effective utilisation of rainwater.
The CM said the government aimed to provide tap water to every household and irrigation water to every acre. He stressed efficient water management, river-linking projects, strengthening existing canal networks and increasing water storage capacity.
Officials informed him that 90.2 per cent of the civil works on the Polavaram project had been completed. Work on gaps 1 and 2 of the earth-cum-rockfill dam was progressing rapidly. Naidu directed officials to complete the Polavaram right and left main canals by March 2027 and increase their carrying capacity to transport water at the maximum possible level.
He stressed that technical standards and quality should not be compromised at Polavaram and called for regular supervision by experts. He also directed officials to complete the bridge at the project site to facilitate transportation and promote tourism.
Naidu asked officials to prepare plans to link the Godavari with the Pennar and subsequently carry water from the Godavari to the Cauvery. He also asked them to examine the feasibility of constructing barrages at Vykuntapuram and Chodavaram, upstream and downstream of Prakasam Barrage, respectively, to store 14 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water.
The chief minister called for developing an inland water transport system from Bhadrachalam to Visakhapatnam via Rajamahendravaram and Vijayawada. Officials, he said, must ensure that all lift irrigation schemes remained operational.
Officials must continue the Jaldhara-Jalaharathi programme to conserve rainwater, replenish groundwater and improve storage in tanks and reservoirs. The second phase will continue until March 31 as a 150-day programme, with the third phase beginning on April 1, 2027, he said.
Naidu called for integrating the works with the VBG Ram Ji employment scheme and targeting a rise in groundwater levels of more than three metres.
He also stressed the need to modernise delta irrigation systems, desilt canals and maintain locks, shutters and gates to ensure water reached tail-end fields. Officials should explore installing solar panels along canals to generate electricity.
In view of the forecast heavy rainfall, Naidu directed officials to prepare comprehensive flood, water and disaster management plans. Rainfall in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema should be used to fill reservoirs and tanks, while measures should be taken to improve groundwater levels and mitigate drought risks.
Water resources minister Nimmala Ramanaidu, special chief secretary Shashi Bhushan and chief engineers attended the review.
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