Vice President of India, M Venkaiah Naidu held meeting with CEO of NITI Aayog, Secretary of Drinking Water and Sanitation, and Secretary of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation on Monday to discuss the various possible ways in which drinking water and irrigation needs of the drought-prone Udayagiri area of Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh.
It is to be noted that M Venkaiah Naidu was elected as MLA for the first time in 1978 from Udayagiri constituency.
While enquiring about the general well-being, NITI Aayog CEO, Amitabh Kant, Secretary of Drinking Water and Sanitation Parameswaran Iyer and UP Singh, Secretary, Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation informed 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 the Vice President that this is the 7th consecutive year where there are no adequate rains. Most of them requested Naidu to find out ways of getting water from the Krishna basin or Somasila project.
“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,” said the Vice President Secretariat in a statement.
“After a preliminary assessment is made, 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 and interact with the concerned stakeholders to understand the ground reality and suggest a way forward,” it added.