Jala Aarti program at the holy confluence of Krishna-Godavari waters in NTR District

Vijayawada : Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu participated in the Jala Aarti program at the holy confluence of Krishna-Godavari rivers in Ibrahimpatnam, NTR district. In traditional attire, special prayers were performed at the confluence of Krishnaveni-Godavari rivers and garlands, clothes, turmeric and saffron were offered to the waters. Jala Aarti was performed at the holy confluence of Krishna-Godavari. Then, on the occasion of the 124th birth anniversary of renowned engineer KL Rao, he garlanded his portrait and paid tribute. Later, speaking at the program organized there, the CM said that the government is organizing programs to take the spirit of KL Rao as an engineer to every village. He said that the Godavari waters from Pattiseema are reaching Krishnamma and making this delta fertile. He said that the flow of water from Krishna river to Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar has reduced.

The CM revealed that the Pattiseema project was undertaken to save farmers from the misery of losing their crops due to storms. He praised KL Rao for playing a key role in the construction of major dams like Srisailam, Nagarjuna Sagar, Hirakud, and Kosi. He said that he had also served in countries like Egypt and Sudan as an international water expert on behalf of the United Nations. He recalled that KL Rao, who was born in Vijayawada and elected as an MP, served as a Union Minister under three Prime Ministers. He said that he served the country by working on issues like irrigation and hydroelectric power generation. Sir Arthur Cotton built the Krishna Barrage on the Krishna River at Dhavaleswaram in the Godavari region. The CM said that this was a decision that turned AP into Annapurna for the country. KL Rao modernized these projects and made the delta fertile. He revealed that NTR was the person who thought about the irrigation sector of Andhra Pradesh after Sivaramakrishnaiah and KL Rao. He said that all of them were an inspiration in developing the irrigation sector. He said that even the streams, canals and water springs have now dried up and that efforts are being made to increase the groundwater.