Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu released that the Polavaram Project is targeted for completion by October 2026. He said that the work on the diaphragm wall, which is of prime importance, should be completed by December 2025. Amidst an intensive tour of the project, CM Chandrababu, who had reached the site by helicopter, made an aerial round of the project before visiting the viewpoint along with Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu and senior officials. They discussed the Polavaram Gap 1 works, visited a photography exhibition, and visited the ongoing constructions in the site. The CM also led a meeting of the officials to finalize the revised work schedule of the project.
CM Chandrababu described Polavaram as the lifeblood of Andhra Pradesh. He further mentioned that the project would:
"Polavaram and Amaravati are the two eyes of Andhra Pradesh. Completing Polavaram and linking rivers will be transformative for the state," said the CM. He added that the project is already connected to the Krishna River via the Pattiseema lift irrigation scheme and plans future connections to the Nagarjuna Sagar Canal. The Gollapalli reservoir will also ensure water supply to Veligonda irrigation and extend the benefits to Banakachar and beyond.
The CM said it will directly provide water to Visakhapatnam and connect it to the North Andhra Sujala Sravanthi project and extend further availability of water to the Vamsadhara River, fully benefitting districts around the state from Srikakulam to Kurnool, Nellore, Chittoor, and even to Tirupati. Polavaram is a multipurpose project designed with a discharge capacity of 50 lakh cusecs and spillway gates of 93 meters in diameter to meet the requirements of irrigation, drinking water, and electricity.
CM Chandrababu reflected on the efforts put in place from 2014 to 2019 as follows:
The CM noted that he conducted 28 field inspections and held 82 virtual reviews to monitor progress closely.
Criticizing the previous government, CM Chandrababu alleged that progress stalled after 2019 due to poor management. The government changed the Polavaram contractor in July 2019 but failed to provide alternatives for over 15 months. This resulted in delays, and subsequent floods in August and October severely damaged the diaphragm wall and other critical structures.
"The project was neglected under the guise of reverse tendering, leading to incompetence, corruption, and conspiracy. These missteps derailed the progress we had achieved," the CM expressed with frustration.
Conclusion
The Polavaram project remains the cornerstone of Andhra Pradesh's development strategy. With multipurpose benefits for agriculture, drinking water, and electricity, the state government has committed to completing it by 2026. CM Chandrababu again stressed the need for timely execution to unlock its transformative potential for the state.
