Andhra govt aims to irrigate every acre of land, spent 24,000 cr in past 2 years: CM

Amaravati, July 15 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday said that his government is working towards irrigating every acre of land in the state. To achieve this, the government has spent Rs 24,000 crore on irrigation in the past two years. Addressing a public meeting at Ibrahimpatnam near Vijayawada, the Chief Minister contrasted this with Rs 68,000 crore spent on irrigation during the previous TDP regime between 2014 and 2019. “The people’s government is working towards irrigating every acre of land in the state. Between 2014 and 2019, Rs 68,000 crore was spent on irrigation and Rs 24,000 crore in two years from 2024,” said Naidu while commemorating the 124th birth anniversary of renowned engineer KL Rao. Further, the CM highlighted that Godavari River water from Pattisema lift irrgation project are reaching the Krishna River to irrigate the Kishna delta. The CM noted that Pattiseema Project was taken up to shield farmers from crop destruction caused by cyclones and dwindling inflows from Krishna River to Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar projects. According to the CM, a total of 80 TMC of Godavari river water was supplied to revitalise Krishna Delta. Despite the Pattisema Project being mocked initially, he said its water is now salvaging the Krishna Delta. Between 2015 and 2025, he said 450 TMC water was supplied while only Rs 1,300 crore was spent on the Pattiseema project. By shifting Godavari River water through the Pattiseema project, the CM said it could be stored in Srisailam project and also gave scope to supply water to Rayalaseema region. Pointing out that water sources were drying up, Naidu said the government is making efforts to preserve and save ground water levels. Further, Naidu alleged that the previous YSRCP government did not bother even when Annamayya Dam was washed away and the gates of Gundlakamma and Pulichintala projects were also washed away. On the Polavaram Project, the CM promised to complete it by March 2027 and dedicate it to the nation. Moreover, Naidu shared his vision to intra-link all the rivers in the state from Vamshadara to Penna and promised to complete 36 projects in order of priority in the next three years. Earlier, Naidu offered 'Jalaharathi' ritual at the confluence of the Krishna and Godavari rivers near Ibrahimpatnam in NTR district. Dressed in traditional attire, the Chief Minister offered a floral garland, clothes, turmeric and vermilion to the holy waters. Later, the Chief Minister paid floral tributes to the portrait of renowned engineer K L Rao. PTI STH MS ROH