Jal Jeevan Mission – Pawan Kalyan Reviews Mega Water Grid Progress in Godavari
Jal Jeevan Mission – Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Panchayat Raj Minister Pawan Kalyan has instructed officials to speed up the execution of major drinking water projects under the Jal Jeevan Mission, with a special focus on water-deficit coastal regions. During a review meeting held on Tuesday, he emphasised that every component of the ongoing infrastructure should be completed within the scheduled timeframe while maintaining construction quality and engineering standards.
Focus on Long-Term Drinking Water Security
The Deputy Chief Minister reviewed the progress of the Amarajeevi Jaladhara Mega Water Grid Projects being implemented across the erstwhile East Godavari and West Godavari districts. He said the large-scale initiative is designed to provide a lasting solution to drinking water shortages in coastal villages and is expected to improve access to safe drinking water for nearly 3.3 million residents.
Pawan Kalyan stressed that all departments involved in the project must work in close coordination to ensure that execution remains on schedule. He instructed officials to give priority to key infrastructure such as intake wells, water treatment facilities, storage reservoirs and extensive pipeline networks, describing them as critical to the timely completion of the scheme.
Faster Clearances to Prevent Delays
To avoid unnecessary setbacks, the Deputy Chief Minister directed officials to speed up pending approvals from various government agencies wherever they are required. These include permissions from the Roads and Buildings Department, the National Highways Authority, the Panchayat Raj Department and the Forest Department. He noted that timely administrative clearances would help remove bottlenecks and keep construction activities moving without interruption.
He also underlined the need for continuous coordination among departments so that issues affecting project execution can be resolved at the earliest stage.
East Godavari Project Advances
Officials informed the review meeting that drinking water infrastructure works worth approximately Rs 3,050 crore are currently under implementation across the two districts.
The East Godavari Mega Water Grid Project accounts for an estimated investment of Rs 1,650 crore. Once completed, it is expected to provide safe drinking water to nearly 2 million people living in 10 Assembly constituencies.
Construction activities currently include two intake wells, access bridges and water treatment plants with capacities of 111 million litres per day (MLD) and 75 MLD. Officials also reported that more than 182 kilometres of pipeline network has already been laid as part of the project.
West Godavari Works Continue
The West Godavari Mega Water Grid Project, estimated at Rs 1,400 crore, is expected to benefit around 1.35 million people after completion.
According to officials, work is progressing on an intake well, an access bridge and a 155 MLD water treatment plant. They added that, taken together, the East and West Godavari projects have already seen more than 400 kilometres of pipelines completed, marking significant progress in expanding the region’s drinking water infrastructure.
Monitoring to Ensure Timely Completion
Pawan Kalyan recalled that the Amarajeevi Jaladhara project was launched at Peravali in West Godavari district in December last year with the objective of ensuring safe drinking water for rural households across the twin Godavari districts.
He directed Project Monitoring Units to regularly review the pace of work and closely monitor every stage of implementation. According to him, continuous supervision and timely intervention wherever required will be essential to completing the projects within the planned schedule and delivering reliable drinking water facilities to thousands of villages across the region.