₹600 cr. allocated for Uttarandhra Sujala Sravanthi, water will reach Anakapalli by June, says Nimmala

Andhra Pradesh Water Resources Minister Nimmala Rama Naidu on Friday announced that ₹600 crore has been allocated in the current budget for the ambitious Uttarandhra Sujala Sravanthi project. 

Responding to questions in the State Assembly, the Minister stated that ₹500 crore has been earmarked for project works and ₹100 crore for land acquisition.

He further informed the House that the government has identified 11 other priority irrigation projects in North Andhra and allocated ₹460 crore for their execution. The Sujala Sravanthi project was originally launched during Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s 2014-2019 tenure. It aims to utilise 63.20 TMC of water to provide irrigation to 8 lakh acres across the erstwhile Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, and Visakhapatnam districts, supplying drinking water to 30 lakh people, and meeting industrial water needs in Visakhapatnam.

The coalition government has decided to execute the project in two phases, at an estimated cost of ₹2,022 crore for Phase-I and ₹4,210 crore for Phase-II.

Highlighting the importance of the Polavaram Left Main Canal, the Minister said it is crucial for making North Andhra agriculturally prosperous. He alleged that while significant works were undertaken between 2014 and 2019, no substantial expenditure was incurred on the canal during the previous YSRCP government’s tenure, except for ₹63 crore provided in the vote-on-account budget.

He stated that after assuming office, the present government allocated ₹1,209 crore to accelerate the canal works and aims to ensure that Godavari waters reach Anakapalli by June 2026.

Encroachments

Replying to a question by MLA Pantam Venkateswara Rao regarding encroachments on the Ramanayyapeta channel in Kakinada Rural, the Minister said a joint survey by the Irrigation and Revenue Departments has identified 84 encroachments so far. ‘’Irrigation lands cannot be converted into house sites and coordinated action is being taken to remove illegal occupations,’’ he said. The government is reviewing whether drainage systems and irrigation canals in Rajamahendravaram Rural should be handed over to municipal authorities or retained under the Irrigation Department, and a decision will be taken soon.