Naidu Prioritises Drinking Water as Andhra Pradesh Faces Rainfall Deficit
Chief Minister directs officials to optimise reservoir, tank and groundwater resources under a Water Movement Plan while urging farmers to avoid water-intensive crops.
AMARAVATI, AUGUST 16, 2026: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to give top priority to drinking water supplies as the state faces deficient rainfall and to prepare a comprehensive Water Movement Plan for managing available water resources.
At a review meeting with the Water Resources Department at the Secretariat on Friday, Naidu sought an action plan to make the best possible use of water stored in reservoirs and tanks, along with available groundwater.
WHAT HAPPENED
Naidu reviewed:
Polavaram and Veligonda projects
Progress of 36 priority irrigation projects
Reservoir storage levels
Water releases
Drinking water availability
Groundwater management
He directed officials to ensure that drinking water requirements remain the first priority while managing water for agriculture and industry.
POLAVARAM PROJECT
Officials informed the Chief Minister that 89.9% of Polavaram's civil works had been completed as of Thursday.
Work on the Left Canal and ECRF Gap-1 and Gap-2 was progressing, despite recent Godavari flood inflows of around 14 lakh cusecs, according to officials.
Naidu directed officials to:
Construct access roads to the dam site.
Develop infrastructure required for future dam maintenance.
Address local concerns relating to the Gandi Poshamma temple.
Complete the remaining Left Canal works up to Visakhapatnam by March next year.
He also asked officials to fill water bodies, reservoirs and tanks along the route up to Anakapalli.
CANAL CAPACITY
Naidu directed officials to design both the Right and Left Canals to handle 17,500 cusecs.
He also suggested giving names to the two canals.
WATER FOR INDUSTRY AND DATA CENTRES
The Chief Minister said around 3.5 TMC of water would be sufficient for data centres, rejecting what he described as criticism over their water requirements.
He asked officials to communicate the figure clearly to the public while ensuring that drinking water supplies remain the state's primary concern.
At the same time, he directed officials to ensure that industrial water requirements are not unnecessarily disrupted.
FARMERS URGED TO SAVE WATER
Naidu appealed to farmers to avoid water-intensive crops during the current season in view of the rainfall situation.
He also asked officials to continue programmes such as Jala Dhara and Jala Harathi to strengthen groundwater levels.
GODAVARI WATER AND INLAND WATERWAYS
The Chief Minister said the state could explore diverting Godavari water towards North Andhra and the Krishna delta.
He also proposed examining the feasibility of developing inland waterway connectivity between Visakhapatnam and Amaravati.
VELIGONDA AND OTHER PROJECTS
Naidu directed officials to accelerate completion of the Veligonda project and address the concerns of displaced families with sensitivity.
For the 36 priority projects, he instructed officials to establish monthly targets and monitor progress.
He also asked officials to examine the feasibility of supplying water to the downstream ayacut of the Annamayya project.
KEY PRIORITIES
The government's immediate water-management priorities include:
Securing drinking water supplies
Optimising reservoir and tank storage
Strengthening groundwater resources
Managing irrigation demand
Accelerating major irrigation projects
Preparing for future industrial water requirements
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Officials are expected to prepare the Water Movement Plan and establish project-wise and monthly targets for priority irrigation works. Water availability, reservoir management and drinking-water requirements are also expected to remain under close review as the state navigates the rainfall deficit.
