Polavaram Left Main Canal: A New Journey for North Andhra

September 2, 2026 — a significant day in Andhra Pradesh’s water history.

After years of construction and anticipation, Godavari waters began flowing towards North Andhra through the Polavaram Left Main Canal.

The Left Main Canal is one of the key components of the Polavaram Irrigation Project. The official project design lists the main canal at nearly 182 kilometres, with an irrigation potential of around 4 lakh acres. It is also planned to supply 23.44 TMC of water for industrial and drinking-water requirements in and around Visakhapatnam.

But bringing this water to North Andhra was not an easy engineering task.

The canal passes through challenging terrain and includes major engineering structures such as tunnels, aqueducts and a siphon beneath the Yeleru River. At the Pampa River, engineers constructed a major aqueduct, while another large aqueduct was built across the Tandava River.

The first phase of the water release is expected to benefit around 2.87 lakh acres of ayacut and 5.23 lakh people across four districts. In Anakapalli district alone, around 1.5 lakh acres are expected to receive irrigation support.

And then came the moment that many had been waiting for.

On September 2, 2026, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu formally released Godavari water through the Polavaram Left Main Canal at Payakaraopeta in Anakapalli district. He performed Jala Harathi at Sitarampuram and switched on the canal regulator, marking the beginning of the flow of Godavari waters towards North Andhra.

For farmers, this water represents the hope of more reliable irrigation. For villages, it means greater water security. And for Visakhapatnam and the surrounding region, it could support future industrial and urban development.

The government is also planning to expand the canal and connect it with the Uttarandhra Sujala Sravanthi project, with the broader objective of taking Godavari water to more upland areas of North Andhra.

The Polavaram Left Main Canal is therefore more than a canal. It is a link between the waters of the Godavari and the aspirations of North Andhra — carrying water, agriculture, development and hope towards a new future.