Chandrababu Naidu releases Godavari water to North Andhra through Polavaram canal

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu released Godavari waters to North Andhra through the Polavaram Project Left Main Canal. The Rs 4,192-crore project is expected to strengthen irrigation, improve drinking water supply and eventually support nearly eight lakh acres

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday released Godavari waters to North Andhra through the Polavaram Project Left Main Canal, marking a major step towards strengthening irrigation and drinking water supply in the region.

The Chief Minister performed Jala Harathi at Payakaraopeta in Anakapalli district to welcome the Godavari waters and opened the regulator across the canal, allowing river water to flow towards North Andhra.

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The water will travel through a network of canals, rivers, aqueducts and syphons before reaching different parts of the region, passing through the Pampa, Tandava, Varaha and Sarada rivers, as well as the Yeleru canal.

The Rs 4,192-crore canal, spanning 213 km, will initially provide irrigation to 2.87 lakh acres and drinking water to around 5.23 lakh people in four districts, according to officials.

The Water Resources Department has built several specialised structures along the canal to carry water across natural waterways and other geographical barriers, including syphons and aqueducts at river crossings.

At the Pampa river crossing, an aqueduct has been constructed over the river and is supported by 312 piles driven to depths of up to 30 metres.

A 447-metre-long aqueduct with six vents has also been constructed across the Tandava river. The structure is designed to carry up to 10,634 cusecs of water.

In Anakapalli district, nearly 1.5 lakh acres are expected to benefit from the release, with the water being used to replenish the Yeleru canal and 110 tanks to meet irrigation and drinking water needs.

The project is expected to strengthen irrigation over 1.48 lakh acres under the Pushkara ayacut, 80,000 acres under Yeleru, 12,000 acres under Pampa and 46,620 acres under the Tandava, Varaha and Mamidi Gedda ayacuts.

The government has planned to utilise 23.44 TMC of Godavari water for irrigation, drinking water and industrial requirements in Visakhapatnam and Anakapalli districts.

The Left Main Canal is also planned to be connected to the North Andhra Sujala Sravanthi project, through which Godavari water will eventually be taken to the upper reaches of Anakapalli, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Parvathipuram Manyam and Srikakulam districts.

The state government plans to take Godavari water to Visakhapatnam next year and subsequently integrate the system with the North Andhra Sujala Sravanthi network.

Once the wider system is completed, the government expects to stabilise irrigation over nearly eight lakh acres in North Andhra, besides improving drinking water availability across the region.

The project is being positioned as a major water infrastructure initiative for North Andhra, with the government expecting it to support agriculture, industrial activity and economic development in the region.