Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu today held a meeting with Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog Amitabh Kant, Secretary of Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation Parameswaran Iyer and Water Resources Secretary U.P. Singh and discussed various possible ways in which drinking water and irrigation needs of the drought-prone Udayagiri area of Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh can be met. The Vice President shared with them the concerns of the people of this area.
In the recent past, the Vice President had been talking to people of Udayagiri constituency, from where he was elected as MLA in 1978 for the first time. While enquiring about the general well-being, they informed the Vice President that groundwater levels in the area have depleted considerably, most of the tanks and borewells have dried up and various water supply schemes are not serving the water needs to the fullest.
They also informed the Vice President that this is the seventh consecutive year where there are no adequate rains. Most of them requested Mr Naidu to find out ways of getting water from Krishna basin or Somasila project.
In today’s discussion with the Vice President, officials suggested that they would explore various options in consultation with the Government of Andhra Pradesh and see what might be the most feasible option.
The Vice President advised Secretary, Water Resources to discuss with Central Water Commission and find out about the technical feasibility. He also suggested that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and the various ongoing efforts of the State Government to mitigate the water crisis including through the Water Grid Project could be studied.
The Vice President advised that a delegation of senior officials from the Ministry of Jal Shakti as well as from NITI Aayog and Central Water Commission could visit the area after a preliminary assessment is made and interact with the concerned stakeholders to understand the ground reality and suggest a way forward.
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