Will provide water to every acre in state: CM

Tirupati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday vowed to provide water to every acre in the state, urging people to make full use of it for development, after performing the ‘Jala Harathi' ritual at the Kuppam branch canal.

Naidu performed the ritual to mark the Krishna River water reaching Kuppam through the expanded Handri Neeva canal. “It is my responsibility to provide water to every acre and everybody and it is your duty to make use of it and develop. Are you ready for this? …Water is life, things will change when water comes,” Naidu observed at a public meeting at Paramasamudram village. The Chief Minister described the day as ‘sacred’ in his political journey, and added: “The joy on the faces of Kuppam farmers today is my greatest satisfaction. This is not just water – it is life, prosperity, and hope.”

The event marked the culmination of a decades-long dream as Krishna watersfinally reached the Paramasamudram tank in Naidu’s home constituency through the expanded Handri–Neeva canal system.

Dressed in traditional attire, the Chief Minister offered turmeric and vermilion to the flowing waters as priests chanted Vedic hymns. Ministers Nimmala Rama Naidu and MLC Kancharla Srikanth joined the ritual, while thousands of locals gathered, chanting ‘Jai Chandrababu.’

Naidu also unveiled a pylon commemorating the Handri–Neeva canal expansion works. To mark the historic moment, Naidu took a symbolic boat ride in the Paramasamudram tank.

Addressing a public meeting later, Naidu outlined his government’s irrigation vision. “Running water must be channeled, standing water must be stored,” he said, recalling initiatives such as watershed development, check dams, and the Handri–Neeva project launched in 1999. He assured that every tank in Rayalaseema would be filled so that drought would never return to the region.

Taking a dip into politics, Naidu accused the previous YSRCP government of mishandling the Polavaram project by damaging the diaphragm wall and stalling progress. He said reconstruction was underway and completion of Polavaram, along with interlinking projects such as Polavaram–Banakacharla and Vamsadhara–Penna, would bring permanent drought relief to Andhra Pradesh. In the context, he appealed to Telangana leaders to rise above politics and cooperate on water sharing for the benefit of Telugu people.

The Chief Minister contrasted his administration’s record with that of the YSRCP, claiming that his government had spent Rs 12,500 crore on Rayalaseema irrigation projects between 2014 and 2019, while the YSRCP had spent only Rs 2,000 crore from 2019 to 2024. “For us, Rayalaseema will not remain a land of stones. We will make it a land of gems,” he declared.

The meeting also featured video presentations on Kuppam’s development since 1989, showcasing improvements in agriculture, industry, and the resolution of chronic water shortages.

For several days, locals have been celebrating the inflows by bathing in canals and affectionately addressing the river as ‘Krishnamma’.