AP Keen On Using 200 Tmc-Ft Of Godavari Floodwater For Polavaram-Banacherla Link Project
The Central Water Commission has asked the state government to submit details of the proposed project, the data on Godavari waters and of the proposed projects on Godavari river.
Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government appears to be keen on usage of 200 tmc-ft of floodwater from Godavari river, out of the nearly 2,000 tmc-ft water getting drained into the sea per annum. This would be done by taking up the Polavaram-Banakacherla Link project at an estimated cost of Rs 81,900 crore.
The Central Water Commission has asked the state government to submit details of the proposed project, the data on Godavari waters and of the proposed projects on Godavari river. The call was in the backdrop of the Telangana government raising objections to the proposed PB project.
Telangana is expressing concern over the proposed use of water by AP, and raising its apprehensions on the availability of water for its own use.
The AP government has begun organising the data for submission to the CWC. The state is very clear that it would use only 200 tmc-ft of floodwaters from the Godavari river that’s now going waste into the sea. AP argues that being the tail-end state of the Godavari river, it has every right to utilise its waters.
The issue has taken a political turn with the Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy, alongside his ministers and the senior Congress leaders opposing the project. They are raising apprehensions on availability of Godavari water to their state and are targeting the opposition BRS leaders.
Meanwhile, sources from the water resources department say a solution is likely if the CMs of the two states meet and clear the apprehensions. An assurance that TG would get its due share of water to meet its needs would be in order, they say.
The department superintending engineer (Polavaram-Banacherla project) B Rambabu said, “We intend to use only 200 tmc-ft of unused flood water from Godavari river. We have the right to use the river water as a tail-end state.”
With regard to the CWC’s query on the number of projects taken up on Godavari river, and also about the upcoming projects, the water resources authorities say that they have the Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage at Dowleswaram, the upcoming Polavaram project and the proposed Polavaram-Banacherla Link project.
The Andhra Pradesh government appears to be keen on usage of 200 tmc-ft of floodwater from Godavari river, out of the nearly 2,000 tmc-ft water getting drained into the sea per annum. This would be done by taking up the Polavaram-Banakacherla Link project at an estimated cost of `81,900 crore.
The Central Water Commission has asked the state government to submit details of the proposed project, the data on Godavari waters and of the proposed projects on Godavari river. The call was in the backdrop of the Telangana government raising objections to the proposed PB project.
Telangana is expressing concern over the proposed use of water by AP, and raising its apprehensions on the availability of water for its own use.
The AP government has begun organising the data for submission to the CWC. The state is very clear that it would use only 200 tmc-ft of floodwaters from the Godavari river that’s now going waste into the sea. AP argues that being the tail-end state of the Godavari river, it has every right to utilise its waters.
The issue has taken a political turn with the Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy, alongside his ministers and the senior Congress leaders opposing the project. They are raising apprehensions on availability of Godavari water to their state and are targeting the opposition BRS leaders.
Meanwhile, sources from the water resources department say a solution is likely if the CMs of the two states meet and clear the apprehensions. An assurance that TG would get its due share of water to meet its needs would be in order, they say.
The department superintending engineer (Polavaram-Banacherla project) B Rambabu said, “We intend to use only 200 tmc-ft of unused flood water from Godavari river. We have the right to use the river water as a tail-end state.”
With regard to the CWC’s query on the number of projects taken up on Godavari river, and also about the upcoming projects, the water resources authorities say that they have the Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage at Dowleswaram, the upcoming Polavaram project and the proposed Polavaram-Banacherla Link project.