Mission for Clean Krishna and Godavari canals to be undertaken: Jagan

Amaravati: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy directed the officials to ensure clean water in the canals, beautify and develop them as walking tracks, during a review meeting on Mission for Clean Krishna and Godavari Canals. He held the review meeting at his camp office at Tadepalli in Guntur district on Wednesday.

As part of this initiative, the government aimed to ensure pollution-free water for both drinking and other purposes. All the canals along the Krishna and Godavari rivers will be cleaned under this Mission mode project, announced the Chief Minister. Particularly, the canals at all villages, municipalities and corporations will be undertaken for cleaning and beautification. The canal bunds to be developed as walking tracks and parks for public usage.

Chief Minister has directed the officials to make other departments also responsible for effective execution and monitoring of the Mission. On this occasion, the Chief Minister launched a dedicated website for the Mission. He suggested paying special attention to canal pollution problems.

Officials have identified that at least 10,000 Kms length of canals on Godavari delta and another 9,800 Kms length on Krishna delta.

In the first phase, the government will take for modernization of 1344 Kms length 36 major canals.

Chief Minister directed the officials to ensure greening at the places on canals where there will no lining, during the beautification works. Without using cement and concrete on the bunds, the pathways must be constructed by with stones, he suggested.

At this juncture, the Chief Minister asked officials to cover all the Municipalities. He suggested creating a taskforce with the support of Pollution Control Board, departments including Irrigation, Panchayat Raj, Municipal Administration, NGOs and others.

Jagan inquired about the expenditure that would be incurred to undertake the canal pollution treatment projects. Officials explained the financial burden regarding the construction of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) and their maintenance.

STP works likely to commence in Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporations in the first phase and subsequently it will be extended to other 18 urban areas.