The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Rs. 1,320-crore plan for Polavaram project cleared

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 28, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Rs. 1,320-crore plan for Polavaram project cleared

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, JULY 27. Decks have been cleared for launching work on the long-pending Polavaram irrigation-cum-hydro-electric project with the Government according administrative approval for its first phase today.

The Polavaram project has been under consideration since 1943 when it was conceived as a storage scheme on the Godavari. However, it was only in 1982 that hydrological clearance for the project was given by the Central Water Commission after the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal recognised the need for construction of the project. The estimated cost has gone up several-fold since then.

The final cost

According to current estimates, the final cost of the Polavaram project is expected to be around Rs. 8,200 crores of which the construction of the spillway and rockfill dam account for Rs. 3,723 crores, the canals Rs. 2,704 crores and power component Rs. 1,773 crores.

Funds for this gigantic project, which includes diversion of Godavari waters to the Krishna at Prakasam barrage, are expected to come from, among other sources, the Austrian Government which is signing an MoU with the State Government to give assistance of Rs. 3,400 crores for various irrigation projects across the Godavari.

Under the first phase, which has received administrative approval now through a Government Order, an amount of Rs. 1,320 crores is proposed to be spent on the execution of the 174-km-long Right Main Canal but without the distributary system. This canal will be lined with cement concrete and will be designed to carry 14,000 cusecs of water.

Disclosing this at a press conference, the Minister for Major Irrigation, Ponnala Lakshmaiah, said nearly 3,000 tmcft of Godavari water was flowing into the sea. The State's allotment under the Tribunal's Award was 1,480 tmcft (based on dependable yield) of which only 739 tmcft was being used at present.

Submersion issue tackled

Mr. Laxmaiah said the Polavaram Project envisages formation of a reservoir with a live storage of 75.20 tmcft. He explained that the project was being so designed as to restrict the submersion within Andhra Pradesh (mainly Khammam district) in contrast to earlier proposals which would have led to submersion in Orissa and Chhattisgarh as well.

According to the Government Order, the project would provide irrigation facilities to 7.21 lakh acres in Krishna, West and East Godavari and Vizag districts, supply water for industrial and drinking purposes to Visakhapatnam City and to a population of 28.50 lakhs living in 540 villages besides generating 960 MW of power.

Krishna delta stands to gain

Above all, it will divert 80 tmcft of water to Krishna delta through a link to the Prakasam barrage benefiting nearly 16 lakh acres in both Telangana and Rayalaseema by providing a dependable source to projects like Galeru-Nagari, Handri-Neeva, Veligonda, AMR Project, Jurala, RDS, Bheema and several lift irrigation schemes. Answering a question, the Minister admitted that AP would have to forego about 40 tmcft of its share from the Krishna its delta was supplemented with water from the Godavari.

The Minister expressed confidence that funds would not pose a problem for completion of Polavaram, which was among the 26 irrigation projects identified by the Government for completion in the next five years. "It will not suffer for want of funds," he added.

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