Andhra govt to take integrated approach to manage water: CM

Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday said his government was adopting an integrated approach to water management to meet drinking water, irrigation and industrial requirements

Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday said his government was adopting an integrated approach to water management to meet drinking water, irrigation and industrial requirements.

India News

Naidu, along with deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan launched the Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0–Amarajeevi Jaladhara programme at Kothapalli village in Proddatur constituency of YSR Kadapa district, aimed at providing safe drinking water to every rural household and addressing drinking water shortages on a permanent basis.

Under the programme, the government plans to provide drinking water connections to an additional 27.36 lakh rural households, while strengthening and stabilising the existing network serving 61.60 lakh household tap connections, at a cost of ₹30,156 crore across the state.

Speaking at a public meeting after launching the scheme, Naidu said the programme would cover 24,601 habitations and include the construction of 13,075 overhead storage reservoirs, expansion of water supply infrastructure and laying of around 77,000 km of pipelines. “It will ultimately provide safe drinking water to around 3.27 crore people,” he said.

The chief minister said that out of nearly 95 lakh rural households in the state, around 62 lakh households already had tap connections. The objective under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 was to extend drinking water facilities to another 27 lakh families, he said.

“The principal objective of the Jal Jeevan Mission is to ensure sustainable drinking water supplies from permanent water sources. The previous government spent only around ₹2,600 crore on the scheme in the State despite the availability of significant central assistance,” he said.

Stating that his government was adopting an integrated approach towards the water needs of the state, Naidu said the state government had spent ₹24,000 crore on irrigation projects in the last two years. The government planned to take up 36 irrigation projects at a cost of ₹35,000 crore over the next three years, he claimed.

He said linking the Godavari and Cauvery rivers could help eliminate drought conditions in southern India. Even during drought conditions, around 2,000 TMC of water had flowed into the sea, he claimed. If at least 200 TMC of Godavari floodwater could be utilised, Rayalaseema could be transformed into a fertile region, he said.

Recalling the stereotypical portrayal of Rayalaseema in films as a region associated with factional violence, he said the region would soon be known for products and industries of global significance.

“Days will come when fighter jets made in Rayalaseema will be spoken of as products capable of taking on hostile countries,” he said, adding that fruits grown in the region would reach global markets under the Rayalaseema brand.

Speaking on the occasion, Pawan Kalyan said it was the responsibility of the government to resolve the problems of people irrespective of which region they belong to or which party they support.

He said the objective of Amarajeevi Jaladhara was to ensure safe drinking water for every household and water security for every village. Under the scheme, the government planned to add substantial infrastructure within five years.

Pawan Kalyan said the government was taking up 50,283 single-village schemes and retrofitting works at a cost of ₹9,000 crore, while 32 multi-village schemes would be implemented at an estimated cost of ₹19,500 crore.

The government would give special attention to areas affected by kidney-related problems, drought, pollution and fluoride contamination, including Uddanam, A. Konduru, Rayalaseema, Pulivendula, Punganur, Palamaneru, parts of the Godavari region and Markapuram, he said.

Ministers S Savitha, P Narayana and BC Janardhan Reddy, BJP state president PVN Madhav, elected representatives and senior officials attended the programme.

Emds/