Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday asked the Water Resources Department to prepare a comprehensive plan to divert floodwaters from drains such as Yerrakalava into the Polavaram Right Main Canal to prevent 1.70 lakh cusecs of water from being discharged into the sea.
At a review meeting here Mr. Naidu said, “There is a 174-km long Polavaram Right Main Canal into which water from several streams can be diverted and used for irrigating 13 lakh acres in the Krishna Delta.”
Officials informed the Chief Minister that up to 40 tmcft could be channelled to Krishna River from Yerrakalava and other such streams and drains along the Polavaram Right Main Canal and utilised for irrigation.
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In the rainy season at least 10,000 cusecs could be channelled from several streams which were currently discharging floodwaters into the Bay of Bengal.
Mr. Naidu said farmers whose lands had been earmarked for the Polavaram Right Main Canal were ready to part with them once compensation was paid.
“The 40 tmcft from small streams and 80 tmcft from Pattiseema Lift Irrigation project can be used for irrigating 13 lakh acres in Krishna delta,”the Chief Minister said.
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Excise Minister Kollu Ravindra, Krishna Collector Babu A., West Godavari Collector K.Bhaskar, Polavaram Special Collector D.Sudharsanam, Chief Engineer Ramesh Babu, Polavaram Right Main Canal SE B. Srinivas, Vijayawada Circle SE C.Ramakrishna, were present at the meeting.
Asks officials to prepare a comprehensive plan