AP Rains: Naidu Puts Officials On Alert, Fast-Track Irrigation Works

"Remain alert and take precautionary measures in view of heavy rainfall likely under the influence of a developing cyclone over the Bay of Bengal," Naidu said.

He called for a comprehensive action plan covering flood management, water conservation and disaster preparedness, and asked officials to ensure that rainwater was harvested and stored efficiently to benefit farmers.

Naidu asked the Water Resources Department to take the necessary steps to resume work on the Chintalapudi Lift Irrigation Project from November. He directed officials to complete 36 identified priority projects within the stipulated timelines and prepare an action plan to make all of them operational by December 2028. The government's objective was to provide tap water to every household and irrigation water to every acre, he said.

He called for strengthening the canal network, expanding storage capacity, modernising delta irrigation systems, and improving canal maintenance and desilting to ensure adequate water supply to tail-end fields. He suggested exploring the installation of solar panels along canals to generate power, and measures to raise revenue for the Water Resources Department through the Jalaharathi Corporation.

On the Polavaram project, the chief minister said there should be no compromise on technical standards.

He directed officials to follow standard operating procedures, engage leading experts and monitor construction regularly, stressing that quality must get the highest priority. Officials said 90.2 per cent of the civil works on the project had been completed, with work on Gap-1 and Gap-2 of the main dam progressing rapidly.

Expert committees that inspected the project several times had expressed satisfaction with the progress, they added. Naidu asked officials to complete the Polavaram Right and Left Main Canals by March 2027 and increase their carrying capacity.

He asked them to complete the bridge at the project site to improve connectivity and promote tourism. He called for an action plan to link the Godavari and Pennar rivers and to explore the transfer of Godavari water to the Cauvery.

He asked officials to study the feasibility of building barrages at Vaikuntapuram and Chodavaram, upstream and downstream of the Prakasam Barrage, with a combined storage capacity of 14 TMC. Naidu called for developing an inland water transport route from Bhadrachalam to Visakhapatnam via Rajamahendravaram and Vijayawada.

He directed officials to extend the second phase of the Jaldhara-Jalaharathi programme until March 31, implement it over 150 days, and link its works with the VB-G RAM G employment guarantee scheme. The third phase would begin on April 1, 2027, he said.

Naidu called for promoting natural farming to prevent a fall in agricultural output despite lower rainfall, and for increasing water storage in tanks and reservoirs.