Vizag water crisis likely to figure in CM Naidu’s September 19 visit
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s proposed visit to Visakhapatnam on September 19 is likely to put the city’s recurring drinking water crisis in focus, with local leaders set to press for a long-term solution built around adequate water storage.
TDP state president and Gajuwaka MLA Palla Srinivasa Rao said the issue would be raised with the Chief Minister and that a meeting with key stakeholders was likely during the visit.
“We are preparing to bring Vizag’s water issue to the notice of the CM during his visit. There will be a possible meeting with all the major stakeholders,” Rao said.
He said the state needed to move away from an approach centred on transporting water and instead build a robust storage network. Recalling a 2004 proposal to spend ₹3,000 crore on a pipeline from the Yeleru canal to cut evaporation and desilting losses, Rao said the focus now was different.
“Our priority has changed. We want to use such a large investment to create dedicated water storage points for the city,” he said.
Visakhapatnam’s heavy dependence on monsoon-fed reservoirs has repeatedly left it vulnerable to shortages. A weak southwest monsoon can sharply deplete storage in reservoirs such as Meghadrigedda, triggering rationing and pushing up dependence on water tankers. The 2004-06 drought, during which prolonged shortages disrupted supplies across large parts of the city, remains a reminder of this vulnerability.
As a long-term fix, authorities are banking on bringing Godavari water to Visakhapatnam through the Polavaram Left Main Canal by 2027. However, irrigation experts caution that the project’s success will hinge on maintaining a minimum Godavari water level of 14 metres to allow lift operations during lean periods.
In parallel, officials are planning a decentralised storage network with a combined capacity of 27 TMC, covering Tallapalem, Rangupolugedda and Seshugedda in Yelamanchili; Cheedikada in Nakkapalli; Krishnapalem in Achyuthapuram; and urban reservoirs such as Gambheram and Meghadrigedda.
“The 2027 vision will work only if the lift thresholds, canal linkages and the 27 TMC storage grid are synchronised,” an irrigation official said.