AP to inter-link 5 rivers

40.26L acres farmland to get irrigated

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu announced that the inter-linking of five rivers — the Godavari, Krishna, Penna, Nagavali and Vamsadhara — would go ahead to develop a greater confluence called ‘Maha Pavitra Anu Sandhanam’. This will irrigate 40.26 lakh acres of farmland and also provide drinking water to nine districts from Srikakulam to Nellore, with a storage capacity of 196 tmc ft of water.

The Chief Minister inspected the progress of work on the Polavaram irrigation project at Polavaram in West Godavari district on Monday. Later, he told news persons that there was some delay in executing the coffer dam work this season as requisite clearances had not come through in time, but the coffer dam both upstream and downstream of the river would be completed, and altogether, work on the project would be speeded up.

The CM said that as part of inter-linking of the Godavari with the Krishna, nearly 105 tmc ft of Godavari water was diverted to the Krishna ayacut area, and from Nagarjunasagar, nearly 140 tmc ft of water was sent to the Ralayaseema area, which benefited local farmers and recharged groundwater table in the region.

Around `16,000 crore has been spent on the Polavaram project so far, details of which have been sent to the Centre, which will reimburse the amount.

Mr Naidu said that the state government has taken up 89 irrigation projects which he hoped would be completed soon so that the state would be free from drought.