A.P. government focused to complete several pending irrigation projects, says Minister

The government of Andhra Pradesh is all set to intensify efforts to complete several pending irrigation projects in the region in a bid to resolve the long-standing drinking and irrigation water issues in North Andhra, said Minister for Water Resources Nimmala Ramanaidu.

The Minister on Thursday chaired a detailed review meeting focusing on the status and challenges of key North Andhra irrigation projects.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, the Minister said that the officials have been directed to give top priority to delivering safe drinking water and irrigation resources to the people of North Andhra. In line with this directive, a high-level review meeting will be held by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu next week to assess the progress and set clear targets.

“During the 2014–19 TDP regime, numerous irrigation projects were sanctioned and many reached near-completion for the benefit of North Andhra. Unfortunately, after 2019, the YSRCP government neglected all these works,” the Minister said. Now, within just a year of coming to power, the coalition government is putting every effort into bringing these stalled projects back on track, he added.

Mr. Ramanaidu pointed out that 90% of works on the Vamsadhara Stage-II Phase-II and Thotapalli Barrage had already been completed during the TDP regime but were abandoned by the previous administration. “This negligence is not just inefficiency; it is a betrayal of the people of North Andhra,” he added.

The Minister also reviewed the remaining works on the Vamsadhara–Nagavali and Nagavali–Champavati linkage projects, and enquired about the current status from the officials. He sought updates on the pace of ongoing works at the Hiramandalam Lift, Madduvalasa Stage-II, and the Janjavathi Reservoir.

In particular, attention was drawn to several stalled projects funded under JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), including the Andhra Reservoir, Raivada, Peddankalam, Peddagedda, and Vattigedda projects. These projects, which were progressing slowly or had come to a complete halt, are now being reassessed for bottlenecks and strategies for completion.

Mr. Ramanaidu directed engineers and department officials to prepare comprehensive status reports detailing project priorities, timelines, and required support ahead of the Chief Minister’s upcoming review. The reports are expected to outline the estimate time required for each project to be completed and the level of funding and resources necessary.

Irrigation Advisor Venkateswara Rao, ENC Narasimhamaurthy, Chief Engineers and Superintending Engineers of various projects, and other senior officials were present.