VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is leaving no stone unturned to speed up the Handri-Neeva Sujala Sravanthi (HNSS) project, the backbone of Rayalaseema.
On Friday, he will visit Uravakonda in Anantapur to inspect the construction work, laying emphasis on its speedy progress to ensure water reaches every corner at the earliest.
During the previous TDP regime, the HNSS project saw major progress. Naidu felt that the project canals were not big enough to carry the much needed water, so he kicked off widening the HNSS Main Canal in April 2017. Big wins included finishing the Gollapalli Reservoir and Madakasira Branch Canal in 2016–17, with water supplied to Kia Industries from Gollapalli. Cherlopalli and Marala reservoirs were completed by 2018-19, and in 2019, water flowed to Madakasira and Punganur Branch Canals (PBC) for the first time. But from 2019 to 2024, the project was ignored by the previous government, just like Polavaram.
Now, with the NDA coalition in charge, Naidu has brought new energy to HNSS. He has sanctioned funds for widening and lining the HNSS Main Canal and PBC, aiming to wrap up Phase I by June 2025. In just five months, the canal’s water-carrying capacity has jumped from 2,200 cusecs to 3,850 cusecs thanks to lining work. Phase I is almost done, and Phase II, covering Punganur and Kuppam canals, is moving fast.
The government is investing `3,873 crore to fix 554 km of canals. Phase I gets `696 crore, while Phase II has `1,256 crore for the HNSS Main Canal (Km 216–400) and PBC (Km 0–75). Work on PBC (Km 75–207) started in January 2025 with `480 crore, covering 15 km so far. Kuppam Branch Canal, with `197 crore, began in February 2025, completing 40 km.
More plans include `590 crore for HNSS Main Canal (Km 400–490), `291 crore for Km 490–554, and `362 crore for Neeva Canal (Km 0–123). After Phase II, the Main Canal will carry 2,520 cusecs and PBC 840 cusecs. Once completed, the HNSS will water 6,02,500 acres across Kurnool, Anantapur, Kadapa and Chittoor districts. Phase I will irrigate 1,98,000 acres (77,094 in Kurnool, 2,906 in Nandyal, 1,18,000 in Anantapur). Phase II will cover 4,04,500 acres (33,617 in Anantapur, 1,93,383 in Sri Sathya Sai, 37,500 in Kadapa, 1,40,000 in Chittoor). Plus, 33 lakh people in 81 mandals will get drinking water, changing lives in the region.