Flooding From Polavaram Project, Official Team on Inspection Visit

Hyderabad: Officials from the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) are to tour Telangana amidst concerns expressed by the state that the project being built by Andhra Pradesh would result in submergence in Telangana.

The PPA team’s tour on Wednesday and Thursday follows complaints that if AP stored water at 150 feet at the Polavaram project, it would result in widespread submergence in Telangana. The state has been saying that once the project is completed and AP begins storing water, it will result in submergence of critical areas near the Manuguru Heavy Water Plant of the Heavy Water Board of the Department of atomic energy, in Khammam district.

In addition, Telangana has said that some areas near the Sri Sitaramaswamy Temple in Bhadrachalam will also face submergence if AP stores water at the 150 feet level.

Following pressure from Telangana, the Central Water Commission had said that water will be stored at Polavaram, to start with, at 135 feet level. Telangana had said that this too would result in flooding of some streams in Bhadrachalam that empty rainwater into the Godavari river from the temple town and this could result in flooding of the town.

The PPA team is expected to visit the area and hold discussions with irrigation and other officials during its two-day visit for an on-the-spot assessment of the potential flooding issues in Telangana on account of the Polavaram project.