Vizag’s Water Problem Will Be Solved Within Two Years, says CM Naidu
The Chief Minister pointed out that Godavari water has already reached Anakapalli through the Polavaram Left Main Canal.
Visakhapatnam: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday assured residents of Visakhapatnam that their recurring drinking water problem would be resolved within the next two years through a combination of immediate interventions and long-term infrastructure projects.
After reviewing the port city's water situation immediately upon arriving in Vizag, the AP CM attributed the current pressure on water resources to Super El Niño conditions.
He said the state government has d prepared a comprehensive plan to meet both drinking and industrial water needs.
Naidu underlined that Polavaram project would bring Godavari waters and provide a permanent solution to the water shortage in Visakhapatnam.
He asserted that the river-linking initiatives would help ensure adequate water availability across Andhra Pradesh.
The Chief Minister pointed out that Godavari water has already reached Anakapalli through the Polavaram Left Main Canal.
Efforts are underway to move further and link Godavari with the Vamsadhara River.
He said his government is focusing on attracting industries while ensuring adequate water supply for residents and industrial units.
He dismissed concerns over water availability to the proposed industrial projects, saying the government would meet both domestic and industrial demands.
Senior officials from the Irrigation and Municipal Administration departments, district collectors, MPs, and MLAs attended the review meeting on Visakhapatnam's drinking and industrial water needs.
Later, Water Resources minister Nimmala Ramanaidu said the review covered existing water sources, storage levels, alternative supply routes, pipelines, and lift irrigation options.
He maintained that the Yeleru reservoir remains a key water source for Visakhapatnam, with around 300 cusecs supplied daily to the Thandava Balancing Reservoir.
The reservoir currently holds about 10.2 TMC of water, including 6.1 TMC of dead storage.
In this regard, Naidu directed officials to examine increasing water discharge from Yeleru to 350 cusecs from 300 cusecs.
He advised the Irrigation department to keep pumps and motors ready to utilise the dead storage during emergencies.
Officials informed that the Raiwada reservoir, which has a capacity of 3.6 TMC, currently contains about 0.9 TMC of water.
Meghadrigedda reservoir currently holds only about 0.2 TMC against its capacity of 1.17 TMC.
The situation would improve once work on the 10.5-km pipeline to draw 100 cusecs of water from the Polavaram Left Main Canal is completed.
Nine kilometres of the pipeline has already been laid. Intervening, the Chief Minister directed officials to complete the remaining works on a war footing.
Tatipudi reservoir, with a capacity of 3.3 TMC, currently has about 1.2 TMC of water.
The CM instructed officials to manage available resources efficiently, while meeting the Irrigation requirements of the neighbouring Vizianagaram district.
Ramanaidu said the government's long-term goal is to bring up to 17,500 cusecs of Godavari water to North Andhra through the Polavaram Left Main Canal once the Polavaram project is completed.
In the interim, schemes such as Uttarandhra Sujala Sravanthi are also being planned to provide drinking water to Visakhapatnam and meet industrial water requirements as well.