VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to ensure the effective use of every drop of water, stressing the need to divert excess flow currently reaching the sea into reservoirs, tanks, and canals in the drought-prone Rayalaseema region.
During a review meeting on irrigation project storage and water management at the Secretariat on Thursday, Naidu emphasised the importance of efficient water utilisation to meet the agricultural needs of Andhra Pradesh.
Officials informed Naidu that the State’s major irrigation projects currently store 771 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of water, while medium-scale projects hold 43 TMC and minor tanks store 67 TMC, totaling 882 TMC across the State.
With flood flows continuing in the Krishna and Godavari rivers, Naidu instructed officials to divert water toward reservoirs in Rayalaseema, including Somasila, Kandaleru, Gandikota, Brahmam Sagar, and Paidipalem. He noted that these reservoirs and tanks can still store an estimated 132 TMC of additional water.
He directed officials to explore the feasibility of transferring an average of 4 TMC per day to multiple projects, with a focus on gravity-based water transfers to reduce operational costs. Priority was given to reservoirs such as Gandikota, Mylavaram, PABR, and Chitravati Balancing Reservoirs, with instructions to release water to canals while simultaneously refilling the reservoirs. Naidu also emphasised channelling water from Potireddypadu, Machumarri, and Handri-Neeva into Jeedipalli Reservoir.
Highlighting the potential of groundwater recharge, the Chief Minister stressed the need to fill the State’s 43,000 irrigation tanks. A one-metre rise in groundwater levels could store an additional 120 TMC, he noted. Currently, groundwater levels average 9.8 metres deep, and increasing this by five metres could yield 600 TMC of usable groundwater.
With forecasts indicating a normal monsoon, Naidu projected the State’s reservoirs could store up to 1,300 TMC, ensuring an adequate water supply for both Kharif and Rabi crop seasons. He directed officials to immediately fill tanks downstream of reservoirs such as Brahmam Sagar, Gorakallu, Marala, Cherlopalli, and Pattikonda. He suggested deploying mobile lift irrigation systems alongside gravity flow to maximise tank filling.
Naidu stressed the importance of delivering water to tail-end areas and expediting repairs to damaged reservoirs and tanks. He instructed officials to prepare a plan for releasing water from the Handri-Neeva project to the Kuppam Branch Canal by August 31, 2025, and announced that he would attend the event.