Amaravati: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said the long-awaited Velugonda project would usher in a new era of development in the drought-prone areas of the erstwhile Prakasam district. 

In a post on X on Tuesday, Naidu said Phase-I of the Velugonda project had been completed after overcoming several hurdles, challenges and obstacles and Krishna river water would soon be supplied to the drought-hit region. 

He recalled that he had laid the foundation stone for the project on March 5, 1996, when he was Chief Minister of the undivided Andhra Pradesh, and said he would now inaugurate the same project nearly three decades later. 

As part of the historic launch scheduled at Markapuram on August 31, 10.7 tmc ft of water will be released into the Nallamala Sagar reservoir, he said. Phase-I will provide irrigation to 1.19 lakh acres, while Phase-II will extend irrigation coverage to 3.283 lakh acres, besides supplying drinking water to lakhs of people. 

Naidu said the project would bring relief to generations of people who had struggled with drought and transform Markapuram into a centre of development. “The waters of Velugonda will give wings to the development of this region,” he said. 

He said the government had fulfilled a long-standing demand of people in western Prakasam by creating Markapuram district. Plans were also under way to invest Rs 1 lakh crore to develop Rayalaseema and the erstwhile Prakasam district as a horticulture hub. 

With national highways and ports, including the Bengaluru-Amaravati highway and Ramayapatnam Port, the region would gain new opportunities for trade and industrial development, he said. 

The government would also provide tap connections to every household and find a permanent solution to the fluoride problem affecting western Prakasam. Naidu said his government was committed to bringing Krishna water from Srisailam to Markapuram to transform the lives of people and overcome regional backwardness. 

“Water to every farmer’s field, employment for every youth and assurance for every family — this is the resolve of ‘CBN as I am’,” he said, calling upon every citizen to contribute to nation-building while pursuing individual success.