VIJAYAWADA : Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will inaugurate the twin tunnels of Poola Subbaiah Veligonda Project, envisaged to provide irrigation facility to 4.47 lakh acres and drinking water to 15.25 lakh population in the drought-prone and fluoride- affected upland areas of Prakasam, Nellore and Kadapa districts, on Wednesday.
The inauguration programme will be held at Yeguvacherlopalli village in Dornala mandal of Prakasam district. The Veligonda project estimated to cost Rs 10,010.54 crore, draws water from the foreshore of Srisailam reservoir through Kollam Vagu. The stage-I (canal distributary) of the project envisages to provide irrigation facility to 1.19 lakh acres and drinking water to 4 lakh population in Prakasam district. In the second stage, the project provides irrigation facility to an additional 3.28 lakh acres and drinking water to 11.25 lakh population in 30 mandals of Prakasam, Nellore and Kadapa districts.
The other schemes associated with the completion of Veligonda project includes Velagalapalle lift irrigation scheme executed at a cost of Rs 33.82 crore, which will provide irrigation water to 4,500 acres in nine villages of Ardhaveedu mandal. The lift irrigation scheme to be constructed at Papinenipalli at a cost of Rs 17.34 crore, will provide irrigation facility to 8,500 acres in seven villages of the same mandal. Similarly, 1.6 TMC water will be released through Veligonda project east main canal to stabilise 16,000 acres of ayacut under the Rallapadu reservoir.
Another 2.25 TMC drinking water will be supplied to 1,657 villages in seven Assembly constituencies of west Prakasam district from the Nallamala Sagar reservoir through the water grid scheme. About 2.58 TMC water will be supplied from the Nallamala Sagar reservoir to the mega industrial hub to be built by the AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APII C) at Donakonda in Prakasam district in 24,358 acres.
Another 1.27 TMC water will be supplied to the National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) to be built in 14,000 acres in Pamuru and Pedacherlopalle mandals of Prakasam district through the Veligonda project east main canal. With the completion of the twin tunnels of the project, officials said the Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) will also be completed soon and water will be filled in the Nallamala Sagar reservoir in the ensuing season. The construction of both the tunnels and Nallamalla Sagar has been completed by the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government. Incidentally, the project works were initiated by the then Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy in 2004, the officials added.