VIJAYAWADA: Key irrigation projects in the State are back on track for completion between 2026 and 2028, with the mega Polavaram Irrigation Project slated for inauguration before next year’s Godavari Pushkaralu, Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu announced on Tuesday.
Releasing a comprehensive White Paper on the Water Resources Department at the Secretariat, the Minister delivered a detailed PowerPoint presentation comparing project statuses before and after 2024, while unveiling a master plan to complete 36 priority projects by December 2028 with a total outlay of Rs 35,555 crore.
Addressing the media, Minister Ramanaidu emphasised that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has given top priority to the irrigation sector based on the core philosophy that water drives population, progress, human survival, civilisation, and overall development.
He stated that over the past two years, the NDA coalition government allocated Rs 24,611 crore to the Water Resources Department.
Of this total budget, a major chunk of Rs 12,484 crore was directed specifically toward long-neglected Rayalaseema projects.
In a historic first for the country, the State is executing all irrigation works in strict accordance with an officially declared “Irrigation Calendar” to recover from the destruction and backlog of past years.
Criticising the previous administration’s handling of the sector, the minister noted that ‘reverse governance’ over five years left the irrigation sector in ruins, burdened with Rs 18,000 crore in pending debts, and pushed the State’s financial health onto a ventilator.
He pointed out that while Polavaram would have been completed by 2021 had the TDP continued in power after 2019, the previous government damaged key components like the diaphragm wall and failed to deliver on three separate completion deadlines.
Under the current administration, the government has already disbursed financial compensation to project evacuees across three instalments. On the distribution front, Rs 1,050 crore was spent over the last two years on the Polavaram Left Main Canal, paving the way to supply water to Anakapalli by August 14, 2026.
Addressing major regional initiatives, Minister Ramanaidu highlighted the Veligonda project, designed to uplift drought-prone and fluoride-affected regions such as Prakasam district.
For the Handri-Neeva Sujala Sravanthi (HNSS) project, which plays a pivotal role in changing the landscape of Rayalaseema, the government allocated Rs 3,870 crore and completed works across both phases within a fast-tracked 100-day drive. Furthermore, a clear two-year target has been set to finalise 11 priority irrigation schemes in North Andhra.
