CM to Launch Replacement of 117 Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage Gates Next Week: Nimmala

Vijayawada: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will officially launch replacement of 117 gates of Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage across Godavari River with new ones at an estimated cost of ₹150 crore next week.

Water Resources minister Nimmala Ramanaidu made the announcement after visiting the barrage at Dowleswaram near Rajamahendravaram in East Godavari district on Tuesday and took stock of the developments.

Later, he told media that the barrage is a lifeline for the people of erstwhile Godavari districts, irrigating nearly 10 lakh acres of land. He said in 2015 when Chandrababu Naidu had been the CM, 58 of the total 175 gates of Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage had been replaced with new ones at a cost of ₹32 crore.

The minister said the remaining 117 gates would now be replaced. He expressed the confidence that the works would be completed by the next cultivation season.

Ramanaidu said the alliance government is committed to the protection of farmers’ interests in Godavari districts. Godavari delta modernisation is one among the 36 irrigation projects incorporated in the irrigation calendar. He said the government would take up development of drains and canals at a cost of ₹14 crore.

The minister criticised the previous YSR Congress regime for failing to pay attention to the gates of Tungadabadra Dam even though its 19th gate got washed away, causing a loss of 150 TMC of water in 2024. He said the present government has restored the lost gate and also saved 80 TMC of water.