Andhra Pradesh: Vice Prez holds review meet to discuss drinking water, irrigation problems

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday held a meeting and discussed various possible ways in which drinking water and irrigation needs of the drought-prone Udayagiri area in Andhra Pradesh's Nellore district can be met. NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, Parameswaran Iyer, Secretary, Drinking Water and Sanitation, and UP Singh, Secretary, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation were also present at the meeting.

Lately, Naidu has been talking to people of Udayagiri constituency, from where he was elected as MLA in 1978 for the first time. The Vice President that groundwater levels in the area have depleted considerably, most of the tanks/borewells have dried up and various water supply schemes are not serving the water needs to the fullest. They also informed him that this is the seventh consecutive year when there were inadequate rains. Most of them requested Naidu to find out ways of getting water from the Krishna basin or Somasila project.

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Figuring out a feasible option

In the discussion with Naidu on May 25, 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. Naidu advised Secretary, Water Resources to discuss with Central Water Commission and find out about the technical feasibility.

The statement further stated that Naidu 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. After a preliminary assessment is made, Naidu 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 and interact with the concerned stakeholders to understand the ground reality and suggest a way forward.

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Venkaiah Naidu Reviews Preparedness

Meanwhile, M Venkaiah Naidu also reviewed the preparedness of the secretariats of both Houses of Parliament for regular meetings of department-related parliamentary standing committees, sources said. It has been decided that officers of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, and those of ministries appearing before such committees would be kept bare minimum, they said.

Naidu had held detailed discussions with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, secretary generals of both Houses and other senior officials on Saturday over the availability of rooms.

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(With Inputs from ANI)

(Image credits: PTI)