Polavaram Diaphragm Wall To Be Completed By Dec 2025: CM Naidu

Vijayawada:Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday assured the state assembly that Andhra Pradesh would be made a drought-free state through scientific water management and large-scale river linking projects.

Participating in a discussion on efficient water utilisation, Naidu said AP had set an example for the country by interlinking the Godavari and Krishna rivers and would now extend the initiative to link the state’s other rivers.

He stressed the need for interlinking of rivers to ensure water supply to all regions. “The process of mapping of water reserves will be taken up through arranging sensors at water projects to gauge both groundwater level and rainwater. There would be perfect water management through data-driven decisions.”

Stating that AP’s development will be possible only with the availability of water, he said, “We should adopt the ‘One State-One Water’ policy and extend our cooperation for intra-river-linking.”

Speaking on the irrigation sector, the CM said, “Thousands of TMCs of water from both Godavari and Krishna rivers are flowing waste into the sea. Interlinking of rivers will help in a big way to ensure water supply to all the regions through the utilisation of surplus floodwaters.”

Naidu promised to complete the Polavaram project by Dec 2027, the Veligonda project by July 2026 and all other irrigation projects in the state, including in Rayalaseema and North Andhra, in two years to ensure water security to all regions.

He said, “I would feel happy when I am successful in taking Krishna water to Kuppam through the Handri-Neeva project by completing the canal works at a stretch of 738km.”

The chief minister said that though there was a 2.1 per cent deficit in state rainfall this year, the groundwater levels have increased and 94 per cent of all major and minor reservoirs and tanks were filled to capacity. The groundwater reserves stand at 697tmc, he said.

Naidu advised MLAs to initiate efforts to increase groundwater levels in their constituencies. He also stressed the need for judicious use of groundwater. “The soil moisture holding capacity increased to 84 per cent.”

The CM said, “ Andhra Pradesh stands first in intra-river linking and in drip irrigation.” He said the state’s alliance government spent `12000 crore on the irrigation sector in one year and would spend `60,000 crore in five years.

Praising the water resources department for filling 94 per cent of the dams, the CM said that 1040tmc of water was available in reservoirs at present.

Referring to the Polavaram project, he claimed that the previous TD government had completed 72 per cent of the project works by 2019, including works on spillway, spill channel, gates, coffer dam, diaphragm wall and right main canal. However, the YSRC government neglected the Polavaram project. “Due to its negligence, the diaphragm wall constructed at a cost of `400 crore was washed away.”

The state government, Naidu said, is spending `1000 crore to construct a new diaphragm wall for Polavaram, which would be completed by this December. “The Polavaram project will be completed by 2027. A sum of Rs 13000 crore has been spent on the Handri-Neeva project so far to supply water to the Rayalaseema region.”