Andhra Pradesh's ₹81,900 Crore Water Project Stalled

The Union Ministry of Environment's Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) has returned the Andhra Pradesh government’s proposal for the ₹81,900 crore Polavaram-Banakacherla link project, citing the need for further evaluation.

In its meeting held on June 17, the EAC advised the state to first consult with the Central Water Commission (CWC) to assess the availability of surplus floodwaters from the Godavari River and address inter-state water-sharing concerns before proceeding.

The proposed project aims to divert surplus floodwaters from the Polavaram Dam to the Banakacherla Regulator on the Srisailam Right Main Canal via a dedicated link canal. It is intended to provide drinking water to approximately 8 million people, irrigate 3 lakh hectares of new ayacut, offer supplementary irrigation to 9.14 lakh hectares, and allocate 20 TMC feet of water for industrial use.

The plan, however, has drawn strong objections from the Telangana government, which argues that it violates provisions of the 1980 Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal Award and could negatively impact Telangana’s water interests.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.