At 15,000 cusecs, Godavari witnesses lowest-ever daily inflow at Polavaram in seven decades, says Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu

Published 17 July 2026 · politics

Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu has said that the 15,000 cusecs of water that is currently flowing into the Godavari river daily at the Polavaram

Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu has said that the 15,000 cusecs of water that is currently flowing into the Godavari river daily at the Polavaram irrigation project is the lowest-ever recorded in the last seven decades, and attributes it to the El Niño phenomenon. On Friday, Mr. Ramanaidu inspected the irrigation system in the Central Godavari Delta, assessing the functioning of the irrigation locks and canals, and the state of the paddy nurseries in the district. The Minister was accompanied by Labour Minister V. Subhash, Kothapeta MLA Bandaru Satyananda Rao, and irrigation engineers of the Dowleswaram Irrigation Circle.

Addressing the media at Lolla irrigation lock, Mr. Ramanaidu said, “At least 5,000 cusecs of water is being drawn daily from the Sileru river for supply to the Godavari delta.” Originating in Odisha, the Sileru river joins the Sabari river at Chintoor, which then flow into the Godavari upstream of the Polavaram irrigation project. “The prevailing drought-like conditions can be attributed to factors — El Niño and negligence of the Godavari irrigation system during the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) term between 2019-24,” Mr. Rama Naidu observed. He blamed the former Chief Minister, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, for failing to undertake repairs to the irrigation infrastructure and renovate the Sir Arthur Cotton barrage.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu performed bhumi puja for renovation of the barrage at a cost of ₹152.95 crore on July 13, the Minister said. Interacting with the local farmers while inspecting the irrigation locks between Bobbarlanka and Lolla locks, Mr. Ramanaidu advised them to judiciously manage the available water sources for the Kharif 2026-27 season. “We are appealing to the farmers of the Godavari delta to prefer short-duration crops and crops alternative to paddy in the Kharif 2026-27 season to tackle the El Niño conditions,” said Mr. Ramanaidu. The Irrigation engineers, Water Users’ Associations and Revenue officials had been directed to share the available water in the canals on shift basis to the tail end areas of the canals, the Minister said.

In the Central Godavari Delta, areas such as Lolla, Amalapuram, P. Gannavaram and Mummudivaram were the worst-hit due to lack of irrigation water. Later, Mr. Ramanaidu inspected the ongoing embankment works between Mukkamala and Amalapuram as the farmers blamed the ongoing works for the poor supply of irrigation water.