Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu speaking at the District Collectors’ conference in Amaravati on Thursday.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu received a standing ovation from the Ministers and District Collectors at the 8th Collectors’ Conference on Thursday for his efforts to advance irrigation projects, with Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav describing the developments in the sector as a “silent revolution.”Mr. Keshav said that Mr. Naidu had worked day and night to take forward several projects, including the Handri-Neeva project and release of water through the Polavaram Left Main Canal. He said that the Chief Minister’s initiative on drip irrigation brought down its cost from ₹16 to ₹1.60 a metre and helped expand horticulture in the Rayalaseema region.Mr. Naidu, meanwhile, directed the District Collectors to accord highest priority to drinking water for people and livestock amid severe drought and Super El Niño conditions.Water should next be allocated for fodder cultivation and protection of permanent horticultural crops through drip irrigation, he said. New paddy cultivation should not be permitted outside the water-secure Godavari delta, he added.Officials said the State’s reservoirs currently held 638 tmc ft of water, against 1,023 tmc ft during the corresponding period the previous year. Rainfall declined by more than 54%, while groundwater levels fell by an average of three metres.Mr. Naidu said 39.5 tmc ft of Godavari water had been diverted to the Krishna delta through Pattiseema this season, helping protect the ayacut. He set a three-year deadline for completing 36 priority projects aimed at creating 17 lakh acres of new ayacut and stabilising 33.4 lakh acres, and asked the Collectors to expedite land acquisition and rehabilitation. Published - September 10, 2026 08:39 pm IST
