Dinakar Defends AP’s Right to Surplus River Waters
Godavari–Penna interlinking vital for Andhra Pradesh’s water security, he says
Vijayawada: Emphasising that “utilising water resources wisely is wisdom, Lanka Dinakar, chairman of the implementation of the Twenty-Point Programme (Viksit Bharat–Swarna Andhra Pradesh), said efficient and scientific water management was crucial for Andhra Pradesh to play a meaningful role in building a developed India.
Addressing a press conference at the Secretariat here on Wednesday, he underlined the importance of the Godavari–Penna river interlinking, particularly the Veligonda (Nallamala Sagar) Project, which he described as pivotal for ensuring water security. He said the project would address fluoride contamination and chronic drought in the West Prakasam, Nellore and Maidukuru regions of Kadapa district while providing drinking water to 60 lakh people and irrigation to nearly 9.5 lakh acres, using surplus Godavari waters that otherwise flow into the sea.
Dinakar asserted that Andhra Pradesh has a legitimate right over surplus waters of the Godavari and Krishna rivers and noted that the Veligonda project is recognised as an ongoing project under Schedule XI of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, making objections to it baseless. He warned that declining upstream inflows could jeopardise Krishna-dependent projects like Telugu Ganga, Galeru–Nagari, and Handri–Neeva.
Dinakar said the coalition government under Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had put stalled water projects back on track, ensuring balanced regional development and safeguarding the state’s rightful water share.
