Godavari, Krishna rivers formally linked

Vijayawada: Godavari has formally been connected with the river Krishna in Andhra Pradesh. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu performed puja and inaugurated a pylon at Ibrahimpatnam near Vijayawada where Godavari's water was linked to the river. The interlinking will prove helpful to the farmers in the Krishna delta as they have been facing extreme shortage of water ever since Karnataka allegedly raised the height of the Almatti project. Addressing the event, Naidu said the previous NDA government had initiated the scheme to merge the rivers while the UPA government had chosen to “ignore” it. After the formal event, the chief minister switched on the first pump of the Pattiseema lift irrigation scheme in West Godavari. The water that came out was diverted to Rayala.