Irrigation projects in AP to be a game changer

VIJAYAWADA: The long-pending nine irrigation projects in North Andhra districts are set to be completed in a period of one year, commencing from June 2023. Once completed, these projects are expected to be a game changer for backward North Andhra districts.

Since 2019 till the end of 2022, a total Rs 543.25 crore was spent on these nine projects, as disclosed in the AP State Legislative Assembly on the first day of the ongoing Budget session. In the budget 2023, a fund worth Rs 394.23 crore was allocated for irrigation projects in the coastal districts.

The nine ongoing projects are BRR Vamsadhara Project Phase – 11 or Stage – II, Sardar Gouthu Lachanna Thotapalli Barrage project, Gajapatinagaram Branch Canal, Mahendratanaya Off Shore Reservoir, Interlinking of Vamsadhara and Nagavalli Rivers, Tarakarama Tirtha Sagaram Reservoir, Sri Gorle Sriramulu Naidu Mudduvalsa Reservor Pojrect (stage 2), Vasireddy Krishna Murthy Naidu Janjhavathi Reservoir project, and Lift Irrigation Scheme at 2.40 km of the right main canal of Gotta Barrage to Hiramandalam Reservoir. Among these, most of them commenced more than a decade ago, but have picked up pace in the last few years.

Speaking to TNIE, S Sugunakar Rao, Chief Engineer (Water Resources) for North coastal districts said that the objective of these projects is to create an additional ayacut of 3,06,900 acres, besides stabilising 2,87,000 acres.

“As these projects are under different stages of completion, we have been providing irrigation waters in parts of the ayacut for some years now. Under Thotapalli Barrage, out of a total of 1.31 lakh acres of ayacut, already 85,000 acres of land is being provided with irrigation water. Under Mudduvalasa, out of 37,500 targeted acres, 24,700 acres are being irrigated, under Janjhavathi, 9,000 acres are being irrigated,” he added.

Besides water for irrigation for lakh of acres, these nine projects will be providing drinking water to more than 3,000 villages, especially projects like Hiramandalam Reservoir and Mahendratanaya Off Shore Reservoir.

It is well-known fact that several rural pockets in North coastal districts face an acute shortage of drinking water, especially during summer. These projects are providing drinking water to several villages.