Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu offers ‘Jala Harathi’ to the Godavari waters before opening the gates of Polavaram Left Main Canal at Payakaraopeta in Anakapalli district on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday laid out a roadmap for augmenting water supply to the Uttarandhra region through various projects and interlinking of rivers, with a vision to transform the region into ‘Uttamandhra’ (best place in Andhra) and ‘Unnatandhra’ (developed Andra)“With the blessings of Annavaram Satyanarayana Swamy, we have brought the Godavari River water to Anakapalli. By next year, water will reach near Simhadri Appanna (Simhachalam in Visakhapatnam) and Suryanarayana Swamy at Arasavalli in future, realising the goal of interlinking of the Godavari with the Vamsadhara River,” Mr. Naidu said.“We will offer ‘Jala Harathi’ to every acre of land by interlinking the Godavari with the Krishna River,” he said.The Chief Minister released the Godavari water to the North Andhra region through the Polavaram Left Main Canal at PL Puram village in Payakaraopeta mandal of Anakapalli district on Wednesday.The project, executed at a cost of ₹4,192 crore, will ensure water supply for irrigation to 4 lakh acres, drinking water to 9.23 lakh people, and industrial needs in the East Godavari, Kakinada, Konaseema, Anakapalli, and Visakhapatnam districts.Mr Naidu, who was visibly elated at the recent launch of the Veligonda first-phase works to ensure the supply of the Krishna waters to the parched Markapuram district, began his address by urging the gathering to greet Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan on his birthday.“I had promised to bring the Godavari water to Uttarandhra and fulfilled it. I understand that water is the lifeline for irrigation, industries, jobs and our future,” he said and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the merger of seven mandals in Telangana with Andhra Pradesh, without which Polavaram project would have remained a dream.He said 72% of Polavaram project works have been completed by 2019, but the previous government had neglected the project, leading to damage of the diaphragm wall. “After assuming office, we have accelerated the project. We set deadlines and overcame challenges to bring the Godavari water here. We ensured that the work was done as per schedule. The project is also a result of the sacrifice of oustees and efficiency of the government,” he said.Mr. Naidu said around ₹3,000 crore of the total ₹4,192 crore expenditure of the project was spent during his governance. He announced that the project would be linked with Uttarandhra Sujala Sravanthi. “I assure that 12 projects will be completed by 2028,” he said.Highlighting the development achieved in North Andhra, he said the region has now got a new airport and data centres are in the pipeline, despite the hurdles created by the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).Mr. Naidu took a dig at the previous YSRCP government for creating terror and resorting to land encroachments in Visakhapatnam. “The YSRCP had not even spent ₹500 crore on the development of Uttarandhra, but spent ₹500 crore on a luxurious palace at Rushikonda,” he said, adding that four to five drinking water projects might had been completed with these funds.The Chief Minister said the YSRCP is resorting to propaganda against data centres, claiming that these projects would cause water and power scarcity. “The five data centres proposed will need five TMC water and we will provide it. We are ready to bring even 50 or 100 TMC of water. The Polavaram canal has the capacity to bring two TMC of water a day,” he said, adding that drinking water scarcity in Visakhapatnam would be solved once the Polavaram project is completed.Mr. Naidu said the YSRCP is resorting to ‘credit chori’ of all the achievements – be it Bhogapuram airport, Veligonda first phase or the Polavaram Left Canal project – of the alliance government.Highlighting that Pattiseema and Purusothapatnam were completed by him, Mr. Naidu said he would complete 36 projects worth ₹35,000 crore in the next three years. Published - September 02, 2026 07:59 pm IST
