Chandrababu Naidu reassures Telangana on Godavari water plan; slams Oppn

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has assured the people of Telangana that there is no cause for concern regarding his government's plan to divert Godavari river water from Polavaram to Banakacherla, as the initiative is aimed solely at utilising excess water that would otherwise flow into the sea.

Addressing a party meeting to celebrate the Telegu Desam Party's (TDP) victory in two graduates MLC elections on Tuesday, the chief minister claimed a political party is "politicising" Andhra Pradesh's strategy to salvage water draining into the sea.

"I am appealing again, when water draining into the sea is taken to a famine-hit region, nobody should feel bad. Everybody should think about it," Naidu said, adding that he was appealing to all the Telugu people.

Noting that some people are questioning what right does Andhra Pradesh have to divert water draining into the sea, Naidu wondered where the Telugu society is headed.

Reminding that he never opposed Telangana's Kaleshwaram project, the CM called on the neighbouring state to build projects on the Godavari river to use its waters.

Highlighting that the Godavari river is the only hope for the Telugu people, the TDP supremo noted that up to 1,000 TMC water is draining into the Bay of Bengal.

Exhorting that interlinking rivers is his desire, including Ganga and Kaveri rivers, Naidu recalled that former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee also formed a task force for the purpose.

"When I took up this matter with the prime minister (Narendra Modi), he said interlinking of rivers within states should be completed first, after which interlinking of rivers at the national level will become easy," Naidu said.

Calling for positive thinking among political leaders, Naidu said Telangana can utilise water resources wherever they are available so that the leftover water can flow down to Andhra Pradesh.

Recalling the Vijayawada floods of 2024, he said rainfall in the upper reaches, especially in Telangana and Karnataka where projects could not be erected, had flown down to flood the city.

"That's why the lower riparian states will always have authority. We are doing this (Polavaram to Banakacherla) for the betterment of Telugu people," he claimed.

The Polavaram-Banakacherla link project aims to route 200 TMC floodwater from Godavari river at Polavaram to Banakacherla in Nandyal district through a link canal.

Expected to cost over Rs 80,000 crore, the project will render the southern state drought-proof by providing drinking water to 80 lakh people and irrigating 3 lakh hectares, supplementing 9.14 lakh hectares of land.

The project will also enable the supply of 20 TMC water to industries.