Andhra Pradesh CM Naidu formally inaugurated the Left Main Canal of the Polavaram Project and released Godavari waters on Wednesday.
The industries, including mega data centres coming up in the Visakhapatnam Economic Region, can now be free of concerns over water availability. The Godavari waters have reached Anakapalli and Visakhapatnam with the release of water into the Polavaram Left Main Canal.Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated the Polavaram Left Main Canal works on Wednesday and released Godavari waters into Anakapalli.The arrival of Godavari water in the Visakhapatnam Economic Region (VER) will now ensure adequate water availability for the proposed mega data centres and industries in the Visakhapatnam region.“Speaking after the release of water in Polavaram, Naidu stated that two TMC of water was being brought to the region through the Polavaram canal following the inauguration, which could be further scaled up as per the requirement.”The five proposed data centres together would require around 5 TMC of water and Andhra Pradesh Government had the capacity through the Polavaram project to bring much more water up to 500 TMC of water to the region.“After the completion of the Polavaram project, water will begin flowing through gravity, and Visakhapatnam will not face a water shortage,” he said, appealing to people to recognise the long-term benefits of the project and the water security it will provide to the region.Naidu accused the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) of creating a “fake narrative” around the proposed data centres and water availability, and sought to allay concerns that the projects could strain the region’s water resources.The release of Godavari water through the Polavaram Left Main Canal is an important milestone in strengthening water availability for the Anakapalli-Visakhapatnam region, which is emerging as a major destination for data centres and other large industrial investments.PotentialWater released through the Polavaram Left Main Canal will provide irrigation to 287,000 acres and drinking water to 523,000 people across four districts, according to the state government.In Anakapalli district alone, 1.5 lakh acres of ayacut will receive irrigation water. The State Government has spent ₹4,192 crore on the construction of the left canal. The Water Resources Department has planned to fill the Yeleru canal near Anakapalli and 110 tanks across the district with Godavari water.The project will help stabilise irrigation in 148,000 acres under the Pushkara ayacut, 80,000 acres under Yeleru, 12,000 acres under Pampa, and 46,620 acres under the Tandava, Varaha, and Mamidi Gedda ayacuts.A total of 23.44 TMC of Godavari water will be used for irrigation, drinking water and industrial requirements in Visakhapatnam and Anakapalli districts.The Polavaram Left Main Canal, extending approximately 182 km, is a water transfer and irrigation corridor originating at the Polavaram reservoir on the Godavari and extending towards the Pithapuram–Prathipadu–Tuni–Yelamanchili/Anakapalli area, with connections to the Yeleru system and benefits extending to Visakhapatnam.Published on September 2, 2026
