‘Telangana leaders wrong in objecting to Polavaram project design’

Telangana leaders are raising untenable objections to the mega Polavaram project on the Godavari, according to engineering experts. Polavaram is being taken up as a national project by the Union Government.

Telangana leaders are seeking a change in the dam design, but such a move is not possible and will defeat the very purpose of taking up the project, the experts say.

Two of the key figures involved in the preparation of the project report and other project-related work rebutted the objections raised by Telangana leaders against the project.

RV Rama Rao, a retired professor and principal of Andhra University Engineering College, said Polavaram is not really a new project — it was in fact proposed by the British upstream of the barrage at Dowlaiswaram on the Godavari as early as in 1942.

The plan was to build a reservoir at Polavaram with an FRL (full reservoir level) of 208 ft and a capacity of 836 tmc ft.

“However, after a meeting of the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and AP in 1980, the height was reduced to 150 ft with a live capacity of 75 tmc ft and the agreements were concluded in 1980,” Rao said.

He further said it was the most important step and the agreements were made part of the Bachawat award on the sharing of Godavari waters.

“The then chief minister, Mr T Anjaiah, hailing from the Telangana region, signed the agreements and only environmental clearances had to be taken for the project. Subsequently, I was involved in the preparation of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the project, and all objections now being raised by the Telangana activists and leaders were taken into account.

“It was cleared by the Central Water Commission and the Ministry of Forests and Environment. Now Telangana leaders are raising the issues to stall the project,” he alleged.

S Satyanarayana, former Chief Engineer of Irrigation, who played a key role in the preparation of the project report in 1980, said: “All the technical aspects now being raised were considered then and only after considering the issue from all angles the dam height was fixed at 150 ft, to reduce the area of submergence.

“Any further reduction in the dam height will make it technically unviable, as gravitational flow to the canals will not be possible.

“Water would have to be lifted, making the project unviable.”

It is unfortunate that ill-informed and politically motivated comments are being made about a project hanging fire since 1942, one which should have been completed long ago, he observed.

“The issue is being blatantly, brazenly politicised. The Telangana leaders and some of the retired engineers from the Telangana region are suggesting the construction of three or four barrages on the Godavari instead of the dam at Polavaram, but that will not serve the purpose.

“The dam will have to be built for stabilisation of the Godavari and Krishna deltas, transfer of water from the Godavari basin to Krishna basin and for provision of water to meet the industrial and agricultural needs of the Godavari districts and Visakhapatnam. Generation of 850 MW of power will be possible only if the dam is built,” he said.

The retired engineers also said a very good relief and rehabilitation package has been prepared for the displaced.

Telangana leaders, instead of trying to stall the project, should focus on the implementation of the package, they suggested.

The Polavaram project is absolutely essential for not only Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, but also for meeting the rice requirements of the other southern States.