Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has set a firm deadline of March 2027 for completing the long-delayed Polavaram irrigation project, describing the multipurpose dam on the Godavari river as the state’s single most important lifeline. During an on-site review in Eluru district this week, officials told the Chief Minister that nearly 89 per cent of the project’s civil works are now complete.
Naidu inspected the Earth-cum-Rock-Fill Dam, covering both the Gap-1 and Gap-2 sections, along with the power generation block. He instructed engineers to maintain round-the-clock work schedules through the monsoon so that the remaining construction is not pushed into another cycle of delays. The tunnel works connecting the right and left main canals, he was told, would be finished by the end of this month.
A project decades in the making
First conceived generations ago, Polavaram has become a symbol of both ambition and frustration for Andhra Pradesh. Once finished, the dam is expected to irrigate an additional 7.2 lakh acres, supply drinking water to hundreds of villages, and generate 960 megawatts of hydroelectric power. Water from the reservoir is also meant to be diverted toward Krishna delta regions that have historically struggled during dry spells.
Rehabilitation of displaced families remains one of the most sensitive parts of the exercise. Officials confirmed that 17,500 families have already been shifted to resettlement colonies, and expressed confidence that the remaining households would be relocated by March 2027 in line with the construction timeline.
To mark progress, the state government plans to hold an “Akhanda Harathi” ceremony on August 14 to celebrate the arrival of water at Anakapalli, a moment the administration hopes will reassure farmers who have waited years for assured irrigation.
Naidu used the visit to stress that his government would not allow the project to stall again, framing its completion as essential to the state’s agricultural and industrial future. Engineers, contractors and revenue officials were told to coordinate closely, resolve pending land issues, and treat rehabilitation with the same urgency as concrete and steel.
For lakhs of farmers across the Godavari and Krishna basins, the promise is straightforward: reliable water, fewer failed seasons, and a measure of certainty that has long been missing from their fields.
Leave a Reply