Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu made it clear to the officials that the Krishna- Godavari Delta should be irrigated immediately and the crop season should be brought forward to avoid the threat of cyclones. He suggested that water auditing and water management should be done scientifically and the state should be green with crops for 365 days.
He also instructed the officials to remove silt in Budameru and Rs. 30 crores are being allocated for the purchase of piezometers and sensors. Chief Minister Chandrababu reviewed the Polavaram-Banakacharla connection and irrigation projects in the state.
After the meeting, Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu told the media that steps are being taken to protect crops from the cyclone. It was revealed that the CM had said that steps should be taken to bring forward the crop season and that a water availability bulletin will be released. He said that instructions will be given to farmers according to the crops grown.
The minister explained that they are focusing on increasing groundwater. He said that the water reserves in the reservoir are up to 516 TMC and that there are water reserves even before the start of Kharif. He said that there are water reserves in the Rayalaseema region as well.
He said that they are focusing on the Polavaram- Banakacharla forest environmental clearance and work is also being done on land acquisition. He said that the Handri Neeva project will be done without any budget deficit.
Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu revealed that the work of taking Godavari water to North Andhra is progressing rapidly. Officials told the CM that Polavaram construction work has been completed to 81.70 percent so far. He said that only 3.84 percent of the work was done in the five years during the previous government’s tenure.
He said that in 2024, after the TDP alliance came to power, 5.93 percent of the work was done within 11 months. It was explained that the diaphragm wall is 64 percent complete, the buttress dam is 91 percent complete, and the vibro compaction work to harden the sand is 54 percent complete.