Minister N Chandrababu Naidu inaugurates the Veligonda Project by pressing the button to open its gates along with farmers and women from the project-affected villages, near Gantavani Palle in Dornala mandal of Markapuram district
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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has on Monday dedicated the first phase of the Poola Subbaiah Veligonda Project to the nation, marking the culmination of a three-decade wait for Krishna water in the drought-prone areas of Prakasam, Nellore and Kadapa districts.The first phase will divert 10.70 TMC of Krishna water to the Nallamala Sagar, providing irrigation to 1.19 lakh acres and drinking water to four lakh people, Mr Naidu said at the inauguration at Gantavanipalle in Dornala mandal.The Chief Minister performed special prayers and offered Jal Harathi to Krishna waters emerging from the twin tunnels through the Nallamala hills. He later unveiled the plaque marking the commissioning of Phase-I and released the water downstream by pressing a switch at the aqueduct along with farmers and local representatives.The Krishna waters, brought by gravity from the Kollam Vagu off the Srisailam reservoir, travelled through the 18.8-km twin tunnels and 21.8-km feeder canals before reaching the Gantavanipalle aqueduct and flowing towards Nallamala Sagar.Naidu said the entire Veligonda project, once completed, would provide irrigation to 4.47 lakh acres and drinking water to 23 lakh people across 30 mandals in the erstwhile Prakasam, Nellore and Kadapa districts.irrigation potentialOf the total irrigation potential, 3.36 lakh acres would be in erstwhile Prakasam, 84,000 acres in Nellore and 27,000 acres in Kadapa.The project would also stabilise the ayacut of 62,000 acres under the Tigaleru canal, 9,500 acres under the Gottipadu canal and 3.70 lakh acres under the Eastern Main Canal, according to the Chief Minister.With an estimated project cost of ₹10,200 crore, ₹7,983 crore has been spent so far and Phase-I has been completed, he said. Another ₹1,900 crore of works remain for completing the project.The State government would complete Phase-II by 2028, Naidu said adding that Veligonda would mark the end of the region’s long-standing fluoride and drinking water problems.Calling the commissioning an emotional moment, Naidu recalled that he had laid the foundation stone for the project on March 5, 1996, when he was Chief Minister. Exactly 30 years later, he said, the project had reached the stage of delivering Krishna water to the drought-hit region.The project involved a major engineering effort to cut through the Nallamala hills and bring Krishna water to the parched lands of western Prakasam.The Chief Minister also paid tribute to residents of 11 villages who surrendered their lands, houses and villages for the project. The government had paid ₹768 crore in compensation to 6,206 displaced families within 48 days and would provide another ₹169 crore, besides extending benefits to eligible youth who had attained 18 years, according to a release.Published on August 31, 2026
