VIJAYAWADA: Highlighting the transformative impact of river interlinking, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday stated that the Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Scheme has stabilised the Krishna delta, and generated wealth for the State, transferring 450 TMC of surplus Godavari water since 2015.
Dressed in traditional attire, Naidu performed Jalaharathi at Pavitra Sangamam in Ibrahimpatnam, NTR district, where the Godavari and Krishna waters converge. Following special rituals, Naidu paid floral tributes to the legendary engineer KL Rao on his 124th birth anniversary.
Addressing a public gathering, he unveiled a mission to spend Rs 35,000 crore over the next three years to complete 36 priority irrigation projects, working toward a long-term vision of linking all major rivers from Vamsadhara to Penna.
Defending the Rs 1,300 crore Pattiseema project against past political criticism, Naidu stated that it successfully stabilised 13 lakh acres in the Krishna delta by reliably delivering 80 TMC annually. “By utilising the Polavaram Right Canal to divert Godavari floodwaters to the Krishna delta, we saved critical water upstream at Srisailam, allowing us to supply water to the drought-prone Rayalaseema,” he explained.
YSRCP govt neglected Polavaram proj: Naidu
Naidu launched a scathing attack on the previous regime, labelling their systemic neglect of critical irrigation projects as “treason against the State and its farmers.”
He pointed out that while the TDP administration had completed 72% of Polavaram project works between 2014 and 2019, progress crawled by less than 2% over the subsequent five years, resulting in severe damage to the vital diaphragm wall.
“The previous rulers left the State’s lifeline project Polavaram in tatters. They failed to maintain basic infrastructure—even when gates at Gundlakamma and Pulichintala washed away, they didn’t spend a rupee on basic maintenance or lubrication,” the Chief Minister alleged.
He highlighted that the NDA government has already installed new gates at the Tungabhadra Dam and recently launched a `152 crore project to replace gates of the Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage at Dowleswaram.
Paying rich tributes to KL Rao, Naidu recalled his monumental contributions to iconic national dams like Srisailam, Nagarjuna Sagar, Hirakud and Kosi, alongside his international expertise represented at the UN.
The State government will organise village-level programmes to inspire the youth with KL Rao’s legacy, he said.
Moving forward, the Chief Minister emphasised that under the Jaladhara initiative, the State plans to scientifically capture every raindrop to augment groundwater resources.
The public rally was attended by Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu, Revenue Minister Anagani Satya Prasad, Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav, Mylavaram MLA Vasantha Krishna Prasad, and others.
