AP's river-linking project has helped farmers save crop

Vijayawada, Jun 27: Andhra Pradesh minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao on Tuesday said that linking of Godavari and Krishna rivers has helped farmers in saving their crop from the cyclone.

Diversion of water from Godavari to Krishna this Kharif season has already begun and it will enable the farmers to take up early sowing activity and complete harvesting before the cyclone period in the month of November, said the minister.

Rao, who is Water Resources Minister in the Chandrababu Naidu government, told reporters "As a result of diverting 143 TMC water from Godavari to Krishna in the years 2015 and 2016 crops valued at almost Rs 8,500 crore were saved in the region."

The minister said "the diversion of water will benefit West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur and Prakasam districts." The water would be supplied to 10.70 lakh acres in Krishna region, he said. "The monsoon this year is favourable and so far the state has received 31.3 mm excess rainfall in the month of June. It will certainly benefit the farmers to take up cultivation.

"The water resources department has already chalked out a plan to save the rain water to meet the future needs," said Rao. He said the AP government is committed to complete all the ongoing 24 irrigation projects by 2019.

"The Polavaram irrigation project will be completed by 2019 at any cost," assured the minister. He informed that Purushottapatnam lift irrigation project to supply Godavari water to Visakhapatnam district would be inaugurated on August 15 this year.

PTI