# Naidu to release Veligonda water on August 31, 3 decades after NTR era 2026-08-22T11:17:58+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will inaugurate Phase-I of the Veligonda Project and release water on August 31, nearly three decades after it was envisioned during the N.T. Rama Rao era. The first phase will provide irrigation to 1.19 lakh acres and drinking water to nearly four lakh people in drought-prone Prakasam, Nellore and Kadapa districts. Naidu announced the date while handing over cheques worth Rs 250 crore to 2,027 displaced families as the third phase of compensation. The coalition government has disbursed Rs 768 crore to 6,206 families in 48 days, with Rs 132 crore remaining. The state spent Rs 2,250 crore in the past two years to complete the first phase. Naidu cited a rainfall deficit due to El Nino and inadequate inflows into Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar, urging economical water use. He also mentioned the Polavaram Project and a five-river linking proposal. Displaced families welcomed the compensation, with some alleging difficulties under the previous government. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The Veligonda Project was first conceived in the 1990s under NTR to transfer water from the Krishna river to the drought-prone Rayalaseema region. It has been stalled by land acquisition disputes, funding gaps and inter-state water sharing issues. The current compensation covers only displaced families, thousands more depend on the irrigation and drinking water promised. The August 31 release is a test: the government must prove it can sustain water supply despite weak monsoon inflows. The next milestone is the Polavaram Project, on which the state's Krishna delta water security hinges. watch the monsoon progress and Srisailam reservoir levels over the next month. ## Coverage - telugu360.com Leads with the government's inauguration announcement and frames the project as a long-pending dream fulfilled under Naidu, without opposition or critical voices. This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Jal Jeevan Mission, N Chandrababu Naidu, N. T. Rama Rao, Polavaram Project, Prakasam district, Veligonda project Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/naidu-to-release-veligonda-water-on-august-31-3-decades-after-ntr-era/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/naidu-to-release-veligonda-water-on-august-31-3-decades-after-ntr-era/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/