AP’s Polavaram Project Will Hit TG, Harish Cautions Authority
Recalling the 2022 floods, Harish Rao said after completion of the Polavaram coffer dam, backwater effects contributed significantly to flooding in Bhadrachalam, Burgampahad and Sarapaka.
Hyderabad: Former irrigation minister and senior BRS leader T. Harish Rao on Thursday warned the Polavaram Project Authority that once Andhra Pradesh completes the Polavaram project, the temple town of Bhadrachalam could face a permanent flood threat.
In a letter to the chief executive officer of the authority, Harish Rao called for urgent intervention to protect the flood-prone areas in Telangana from the Polavaram project backwaters, Harish Rao pointed out that the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of the Polavaram Project is 45.72 metres, which is exactly the same as the first flood warning level at Bhadrachalam.
Recalling the 2022 floods, Harish Rao said after completion of the Polavaram coffer dam, backwater effects contributed significantly to flooding in Bhadrachalam, Burgampahad and Sarapaka. Nearly 40 per cent of Bhadrachalam town was submerged, causing severe hardship to more than one lakh people.
Referring to studies by IIT and WAPCOS, he said they found that nearly 184 square kilometres across 36 villages would be affected by the backwater impact.
He also said that the threat was not limited to villages alone. Major industrial establishments, including ITC Paperboards, the Heavy Water Plant at Manuguru and the Dummugudem Hydel Project, are also vulnerable to backwater flooding.
He urged the Polavaram Project Authority to provide adequate compensation, undertake flood protection measures and establish a dedicated PPA Division Office in Bhadrachalam to monitor rehabilitation, flood management and backwater-related issues affecting Telangana.
