The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Administrative sanction for Polavaram left main canal

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Sep 11, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Administrative sanction for Polavaram left main canal

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, SEPT. 10. The Polavaram Left Main Canal, designed to provide water to 12 lakh acres in north Coastal districts besides meeting the drinking water needs of urban and rural areas, has been accorded administrative approval on Friday.

To cover five districts

Estimated to cost around Rs. 1,353 crores, the project will meet the irrigation needs of upland areas of East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam disricts besides providing drinking water to 31-lakh people living in 705 villages and supplying 24 tmcft of water to Vizag city.

The works that have received approval include the 163 km-long left main canal, widening of a 34 km-long water supply canal, extension of an 11 km-long water supply canal and excavation of the 19 km-long Pudimadaka branch canal, according to an order issued by the Irrigation Department.

75.20 tmcft storage

The Polavaram project envisages formation of a reservoir with a live storage of 75.20 tmcft of water at a cost of Rs. 8,199 crores to irrigate 23.21-lakh acres in Krishna, East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts, divert 80 tmcft of water to the Krishna delta, provide water for industrial and drinking purposes and generate 960 MW of power.

As the canal works take considerable time to complete, the Government proposes to take advance action in grounding the canal system. The Left Main Canal will be lined with cement concrete and is designed to carry a discharge of 14,000 cusecs. The Government in July this year had accorded administrative approval for the Right Main Canal, which is estimated to cost Rs. 1,320 crores.

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