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Polavaram Project

August 24, 2023

For other uses, see Polavaram (disambiguation).

The Polavaram Project is an under construction multi-purpose irrigation project on the Godavari River in the Eluru District and East Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh. The project has been accorded National project status by the Central Government of India.[3][4][5] Its reservoir back water spreads[6] up to the Dummugudem Anicut (i.e. approx 150 km back from Polavaram dam on main river side) and approx 115 km on Sabari River side. Thus back water spreads into parts of Chhattisgarh and Odisha States.[7][8] It gives major boost to tourism sector in Godavari Districts as the reservoir covers the famous Papikonda National Park, Polavaram hydro electric project (HEP) and National Waterway 4 are under construction on left side of the river. It is located 40 km to the upstream of Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage in Rajamahendravaram City and 25 km from Rajahmundry Airport.

Polavaram Project
Location of Polavaram Project in Andhra Pradesh
CountryIndia
LocationPolavaram, Eluru district, Andhra Pradesh
Coordinates17°17′21″N 81°39′05″E / 17.28917°N 81.65139°E / 17.28917; 81.65139
PurposeHydroelectric, irrigation & water supply
StatusUnder construction
Construction began2004
Opening date2025 July (Expected)
Owner(s)Government of Andhra Pradesh
Operator(s)Andhra Pradesh
Dam and spillways
Type of damConcrete spill way (1128 m), Non over flow concrete dam (140 m) & Earth cum rock fill dam (2454 m)
ImpoundsGodavari River
Height39.28 m (129 ft) up to top of earth dam above the lowest river bed.
Length3,722 m (12,211 ft)
Spillway typeChute spillway
Spillway capacity3,600,000 cusecs at 140 ft msl[1]
Reservoir
CreatesPolavaram Reservoir
Total capacity194 tmcft at FRL 150 ft msl
Active capacity175 tmcft (above 25.4 m msl crest level of spillway)
Inactive capacity19 tmcft (below 25.4 m msl)
Catchment area307,800 km2 (118,800 sq mi)
Surface area600 km2 (230 sq mi)
Maximum water depth32.08 m at FRL 150 ft msl
Power Station
Operator(s)APGENCO
Commission date2026
Turbines12 × 80 MW Kaplan-type (left bank side)
Installed capacity960 MW (under construction)[2]
Annual generation2.29 billion kWh
Website
apgenco.gov.in/Main/polavaram_project

History

In July 1941, the first conceptual proposal for the project was mooted by the erstwhile Madras Presidency. Diwan Bahadur L. Venkatakrishna Iyer, then Chief Engineer in the Presidency's irrigation department, made the first survey of the project site and made a definitive proposal for a reservoir at Polavaram. Sri Iyer not only envisaged cultivation of 350,000 acres (140,000 ha) over two crop seasons through this project, but also planned for a 40 MW hydroelectric plant within the project.[9] The project, when it was conceived in 1946–47, was estimated to cost Rs 129 crore.

In 1980, then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Tanguturi Anjaiah laid the foundation stone for the prestigious Polavaram irrigation project. In the year 2004 Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy performs bhoomi pooja with the estimation cost of 8,261 cr and the administrative sanction was accorded for construction of right and left canals at a cost of Rs 1,320 crore and Rs 1,353 crore.

After decades of delay, the main Polavaram Dam construction began under the next successive government of N. Chandrababu Naidu. After 2014 elections, then Chief Minister-elect N. Chandrababu Naidu has refused to be sworn in unless an ordinance is issued merging seven mandals of Khammam district with divided Andhra Pradesh, stating only then can the Polavaram Project be completed without further delay in future.[10] The Polavaram Project Authority was constituted by the Union Cabinet in May 2014 and the construction of project head works were taken up earnestly.[11] The Naidu government has acquired the complete lands that required across the right canal by solving court petition issues of farmers who lost their agricultural lands from both districts of West Godavari and Krishna and the Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Project has been launched in order to pump the Godavari river water and sent to Krishna river.[12][13] In June, the state was bifurcated under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. In December 2017, it was reported that the project contractor, Transstroy was seeking a deadline extension and a budget escalation.[14] Transstroy was reported to have its ₹4,300 crore loan turn NPA in July 2015.[15] In January 2018, the state government signed a new contract for the project spillway, spill channel and stilling basin concrete work with Navayuga Engineering[16] By June 2018, 1,10,355 acres of the required 1,68,213 acres had been acquired.[17] On June 11, 2018, the Polavaram diaphragm wall was completed marking a significant milestone in the project construction.[18] On January 7, 2019, The Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh entered the Guinness Book of World Records by pouring 32,100 cubic meters of concrete in 24 hours by Navayuga Engineering. The project beat the existing record of 21,580 cubic meters which was achieved by Abdul Wahid Bin Shabib, RALS Contracting LLC and Alfa Eng. Consultant (all UAE), in Dubai between May 18 and 20 in 2017.[19] The Chief minister of Andhra Pradesh N. Chandrababu Naidu unveiled the first crest gate of Polavaram project on 24 December 2018.[20] The head works status was 30% completion as of May 2019.

Progress

Milestone Start Date Completion Date
Spill way concreting work 30 December 2016[21] mostly completed as of May 2021
Diaphragm Wall of earth cum rock fill (ECRF) dam 1 February 2017[22] 11 June 2018[23]
Jet Grouting January 8, 2018[24] October 29, 2018[25]
Upper coffer dam grouting June 8, 2017[26] Jan 8, 2018[27]
Lower coffer dam grouting June 8, 2017[26] Under construction
Spill channel concreting work Apr 23, 2018[28] Under construction
Right bank canal head works Under construction
Left bank canal head works Under construction
Navigation tunnel Under construction
Right bank canal works 2016 (90% completed)
Left bank canal works Under construction
Hydroelectric power plant Under construction
Blocking the natural course of the Godavari by raising the upper coffer dam level above the crest level (17.3 m MSL) of river sluice vertical gates (10 nos) provided in the spillway to divert the Godavari water through these gates.[29] 27 May 2021
Godavari water flows diverted fully through the river sluice gates of the spillway via the approach channel[30] 11 June 2021[31]
Upper coffer dam works completed. 31 January 2022
All the 48 barrage gates are fully erected and water can be stored in the reservoir to the extent permitted by the upper coffer dam design. 30 June 2022
Lower coffer dam works completed 17 February 2023[32]
Completion of inspection and field investigation of damaged diaphragm wall during the 2020 Godavari floods and the decision was given to rectify the damage that took place. 5 March 2023[33]
Repair works of damaged diaphragm wall 8 March 2023
ECRF dam yet to start

Purpose

National River-Linking Project, which works under the aegis of the Indian Ministry of Water Resources, was designed to overcome the deficit in water in the country.[34] As a part of this plan, surplus water from the Himalayan rivers is to be transferred to the peninsular rivers of India.[35] This exercise, with a combined network of 30 river-links and a total length of 14,900 kilometres (9,300 mi) at an estimated cost of US$120 billion (in 1999), would be the largest ever infrastructure project in the world.[36] In this project's case, the Godavari river basin[37] is considered as a surplus one, while the Krishna River basin is considered to be a deficit one.[38] As of 2008, 644 tmcft of underutilised water from Godavari River flowed into the Bay of Bengal.[39] But as of 2017 over 3000 tmcft are drained unutilised into Bay of Bengal.[40] Based on the estimated water requirements in 2025, the Study recommended that sizeable surplus water was to be transferred from the Godavari River basin to the Krishna River basin.[38]

 
Polavaram project Canal view near Talupulamma Lova

The capacity of right and left canals are 17,500 cusecs each. During the monsoon months (July to October), nearly 360 tmcft of Godavari flood flows at the rate of 3 tmcft per day can be diverted into the canals.[41] At least another 190 tmcft water from the water stored in the Polavaram reservoir along with lean season inflows, excluding the downstream Godavari Delta water requirements, can be diverted into these canals. Thus the total annual water utilization capacity of the Polavaram project is 550 tmcft. The water storage available in Sileru river basin is used as usual for the full water requirements of the Godavari Delta.

The hydropower plant (960 MW) will generate 2.29 billion kWh green or renewable electricity annually.[2] Polavaram reservoir will also create the potential to install nearly 1,58,000 MW high head pumped-storage hydroelectric plants in the future.

Alternate site

The dam could not be taken up for construction during the last century on techno-economical grounds. The proposed dam site at Polavaram is located where the river emerges from the last range of the Eastern Ghats into plains covered with deep alluvial sandy strata.[42] At Polavaram, the river width is about 1500 m. In view of large depth of excavation which is more than 30 m deep, to reach hard rock at this dam site, the dam project was not found economical to take up. However, a lucrative alternate site is feasible located in upstream of Polavaram site where the river passes through deep gorges of Papi hill range.[43] The width of river is about 300 m only in the rocky gorge stretch. Thirty years back, this alternative was found technologically challenging task to connect the reservoir with the irrigation canals via tunnels across the ghat area. Also, costly underground hydro electric station is mandated compared to river bed based hydro electric station. When the project was actually taken up in the year 2004, the old finalised designs at Polavaram site are adopted without re-examining the latest cost of upstream alternate site in view of state of the art construction technology of tunnels and underground hydroelectric station. The progress up to the year 2012 in construction of dam structures and the hydro electric station is almost nil.[44] The alternate site located in the gorge stretch is still worth of re-examination to reduce the ever-increasing cost of Polavaram dam.

The spillway and non-overflow dam are founded on Khondalite bedrock in Polavaram Project.[43] Khondalites, which are feldspar-rich, often contain soft graphite, hard garnet, etc. in addition to other minerals. Khondalites are highly weathered and hence unsuitable at dam site.[45]

Technical details

 
Aqueduct across Tammileru near Eluru

The project reservoir has live storage 75.2 tmcft at canal's full supply level of 41.15 metres (135 ft) MSL and gross storage 194 tmcft thereby enabling irrigation of 23,20,000 acres (including stabilisation of existing irrigated lands) in Krishna, West Godavari, Eluru district, East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts of Andhra Pradesh.[46][47] The silt free dead storage water of nearly 100 tmcft above the spillway crest level 24.5 metres (80 ft) MSL, can also be used in downstream lift irrigation projects (Pattiseema lift, Tadipudi lift, Chintalapudi lift, Thorrigedda lift, Pushkara lift, Purushothapatnam lift, Venkatanagaram lift, Chagalnadu lift, etc.) and Dowleswaram Barrage during the summer months.[43][48][49][50] Chintalapudi lift / Jalleru project will supply water to irrigate most of the highlands in Eluru district and NTR districts including the existing command area under Nagarjunasagar left canal in AP facilitating 40 tmcft saved Krishna river water for diversion to Rayalaseema from Srisailam reservoir.[48] GoAP announced the decision to construct Purushothapatnam lift irrigation scheme to transfer water at the rate of 3,500 cusecs to Polavaram left bank canal and further pumping at the rate of 1,400 cusecs to Yeleru reservoir for feeding Yeleru canal which is supplying water to Vizag city.[51][52] Uttarandhra Sujala Sravanthi lift irrigation scheme will also use the Godavari water and a sanction of ₹2,114 crores was made in 2017 for its first phase.[53][54] All the irrigated lands under these lift schemes can be supplied from Polavaram right and left canals by gravity flow when Polavaram reservoir level is above the canal's full supply level of 41.15 m MSL. However these lift stations are to be operated every year during the dry season to draw water from the substantial dead storage available behind the flood gates of the Polavaram dam. So these lift schemes are not for few years operation till the Polavaram dam is constructed but for permanent operation regularly for at least four months in every year. Nearly 80 tmcft live storage capacity available to Andhra Pradesh in Sileru river basin can also augment the water availability additionally to the Polavaram project during the dry season.[55]

The dam construction involves the building of a 1.5-m-thick concrete diaphragm wall up to depths from 40 to 120 m below the river bed under the earth dam which is the first of its kind in India.[56] The purpose of diaphragm wall is to secure the river bed stability for withstanding the water pressure across the dam. The project would constitute an earth-cum-rock fill dam of 2,310 metres (7,580 ft) length, spillway of 907 metres (2,976 ft) with 48 vents to enable discharge of 5,000,000 cu ft/s (140,000 m3/s) of water.[57] The spillway is located on the right bank of the river for which nearly 5.5 km long and 1.0 km wide approach and spill channels up to river bed level is envisaged involving nearly 70 million cubic meters earth/rock excavation which is nearly 2/3rd of the project's total earthwork. The maximum flood level at Polavaram is 28 metres (92 ft) MSL and lowest water level is 10.9 metres (36 ft) MSL. Two cofferdams are planned, one up to 41 metres (135 ft) MSL, to facilitate faster pace of work on earth-cum-rock fill dam to complete the first phase of the project by June 2018.[58] With coffer dams inclusion and the bed level of the approach and discharge canals of the spillway increased to 17 metres (56 ft) MSL, the spillway related rock excavation is reduced by 70% leading to substantial cost reduction in the project's head works cost. Ultimately, the material of cofferdams would be excavated and reused for the peripheral portions of the main earth-cum-rock fill dam. On the left side of the river, 12 water turbines, each having 80 Megawatt capacity, were to be installed. Without removing the upper and lower coffer dams after the construction of the ECRF dam, the 960 MW hydropower plant can not be commissioned as they are blocking the water passages of the powerhouse. The right canal connecting to Krishna River in upstream of Prakasam Barrage (173 kilometres (107 mi) long) discharges 17,500 cu ft/s (500 m3/s) at head works and left canal (182 kilometres (113 mi) long) discharges 17,500 cu ft/s (500 m3/s) of water.[46]

Indira Dummugudem lift irrigation scheme starting at 17°33′49″N 81°14′49″E / 17.56361°N 81.24694°E / 17.56361; 81.24694 (Rudrammakota) is under construction to supply irrigation water for 200,000 acres in Khammam, Krishna, Eluru and West Godavari districts drawing Godavari River water from the backwaters of Polavaram reservoir.[59] This is a joint project between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states. This project was shelved and merged with another project by the Telangana state.

Financing

The revised cost of the total project including the 960 MW power station is 47,726 crores at 2017-18 prices.[60]

In December 2016, NABARD handed over ₹1,981 crores, as part of its loan from the Long Term Irrigation Fund (LTIF) under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY).[61] NABARD provided a loan of ₹2,981.54 crores during 2016-17 and ₹979.36 crores during 2017-18 under the LTIF to the National Water Development Authority (NWDA) for the project.[62]

 
Polavaram canal near Eluru.

In its 2018 budget, Andhra Pradesh allocated ₹9000 crores to the project.[63] In June 2018, the Central Government approved ₹1,400 crores which had been sanctioned in January, but not released, through Extra Budgetary Resources raised by NABARD. These funds were from outside the LTIF.[64]

In January 2018, it was reported that the project cost had escalated to ₹58,319 crore.[65] In June 2018, The Water Ministry sanctioned ₹417.44 crore as grant-in-aid under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana (PMKSY) towards the project.[66] By June 2018, ₹13,000 crore had been spent on the project.[17]

An expenditure of ₹16,035.88 crores has been incurred on the project from April 2014 to December 2022. A sum of ₹13,226.04 crores has been released by the Centre for the execution of the project since April 2014. Bills amounting to ₹2,390.27 crores were rejected for reimbursement by the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA). Bills amounting to ₹548 crores have been received by the PPA for examination.[67]

Interstate water sharing

As per the inter state agreements dated 4 August 1978 (page 89) and 29 January 1979 (page 101) with Andhra Pradesh, the states of Karnataka and Maharashtra are entitled to use 21 tmcft and 14 tmcft respectively out of the unallocated waters of Krishna river when Godavari water transferred in a year by Polavaram right bank canal from Polavaram reservoir to Prakasam barrage across Krishna river is not exceeding 80 tmcft at 75% dependability.[68][69] When additional Godavari water exceeding 80 tmcft is transferred from Polavaram reservoir, Karnataka and Maharashtra are entitled with additional water from the unallocated Krishna river waters in the same proportion (i.e. 21:14:45) provided all the following conditions are satisfied.[citation needed]

  • The additional Godavari water from Polavaram project should be transferred to the Krishna river in the upstream of Prakasam barrage. Such additional Godavari water quantity to be shared is decided based on 75% dependability.
  • The transferred water shall also displace the water discharges from Nagarjuna Sagar Dam for the Krishna delta requirements. Krishna delta is the area located down stream of Prakasam barrage which is part of Krishna basin.[70] It does not include adjacent coastal river basins which are being irrigated by the Krishna waters from the Prakasam barrage.[citation needed]

Thus Andhra Pradesh is entitled to transfer Godavari water in excess of 80 tmcft in three out of four years (below 75% dependability) reducing the water releases from Nagarjunasagar dam for Krishna delta requirements and need not share water with other states beyond 80 tmcft.[citation needed]

The above interstate water sharing agreement does not cover the Godavari water transferred to Krishna river which is not displacing the water releases from the Nagarjunasagar dam for the requirements of Krishna delta. Thus Andhra Pradesh need not share with other states the water transferred via Krishna river or any reservoir located on Krishna river for the water needs of any of its area (including Krishna basin) other than Krishna delta.[citation needed]

Future potential uses

Godavari Penna River linking

To stabilize the existing irrigated ayacut area under Nagarjuna sagar right canal, a new lift project construction with greenfield alignment was started in the first phase of Godavari Penna River linking project by having five step ladder pumping stages and a gravity canals to transfer 7,000 cusecs of Godavari water[71] from Prakasam Barrage back waters into the Nagarjuna sagar right canal near Nekarikallu by utilizing 73 tmcft of Godavari water. With FRL 25M newly created[72] Vykuntapuram Barrage pond will have back waters beyond Pokkunuru up to the toe of Pulichinthala Project. It is more economical to construct first stage pump house of this lift project to lift water from Prakasam Barrage back waters into newly created Vykuntapuram Barrage pond and the second lift stage from Vykuntapuram Barrage pond to existing K.L Rao sagar / Pulichintala Project and later lift stages from K.L Rao Sagar to Nagarjuna sagar right canal.It will shorten the length of this lift project canal, Pressure Main and fewer lift stages and also enables the lifting of water up to Srisailam Project via Existing Reversible Reverse turbine pump houses in Nagarjuna Sagar Dam and Srisailam project. It is even more economical, if we construct a new gravity canal from Ibrahimpatnam to Vykuntapuram Barrage pond to deliver the Polavaram right main canal/ Budameru diversion canal waters directly into the Vykuntapuram barrage pond since canal level is 33 m MSL at Ambapuram hill near Vijayawada. As water supply from Nagarjuna Sagar Left Bank Canal is highly erratic, Muktyala Lift Irrigation scheme is proposed by drawing water from the back waters of Vykuntapuram barrage on left bank of Krishna river.[73]

There is a proposal to link Nagarjuna Sagar Dam across the Krishna River and Somasila Dam across Penna River with 400 km canal as part of national river linking program. With help from the Indian Government, AP Govt can construct a new canal up to Somasila Dam as per DPR of Indian Rivers Inter-link program specifications.[74] Thus the Godavari River water will travel up to Somasila Dam and then Swarnamukhi in Chittoor district via existing Somasila Swarnamukhi link canal. GoAP can also provide water to Tamil Nadu with this Godavari water and retained water in Krishna River (15 TMC allocation of Krishna water to Telugu Ganga) will be used for other projects in Rayalaseema region.[75]

In future a new massive dam named Palnadu Sagar[76] across hill range near Bollapalle[77] with 700 TMC capacity reservoir is possible using of flood water of Krishna River and Godavari River diverted with this lift project. It will submerge nearly 300Sq KM of land at FRL 260m MSL.Palnadu Sagar spillway with Francis Turbine will take and release water into Nagarjuna Sagar right canal along with Hydroelectricity power generation. Flood water of Krishna River will be pumped to Palnadu Sagar. The water stored in Palnadu Sagar will be used for irrigation and drinking in drought years.[citation needed]

Godavari Krishna River linking

Vykuntapuram barrage would be constructed on Krishna river located near 16°34′41″N 80°24′43″E / 16.57806°N 80.41194°E / 16.57806; 80.41194 in the upstream of Prakasam barrage with FRL at 25m MSL to receive Godavari water diverted from Polavaram dam.[78][79]

A low level lift canal from the Krishna river located near 16°42′50″N 80°08′24″E / 16.71389°N 80.14000°E / 16.71389; 80.14000 at 20 m MSL in the downstream of Pulichintala dam will be executed to feed Godavari water diverted from Polavaram Dam to some of the existing command area (situated below 60 m MSL) under Nagarjuna Sagar right bank canal to facilitate extension of Nagarjuna Sagar right bank canal connecting to Kandaleru feeder canal / Somasila reservoir for serving irrigation needs in Prakasam, Potti Sriramulu Nellore and Chittur districts including Chennai drinking water supply. A branch from this lift canal is also extended up to Pulichinthala dam (FRL 53.34 m MSL) to store Godavari water in Pulichintala reservoir during drought years and to irrigate low lands along Krishna river up to Pulichintala dam.[80][81]

Another high level lift canal from above Krishna river location 16°42′50″N 80°08′24″E / 16.71389°N 80.14000°E / 16.71389; 80.14000 up to 90 m MSL would be constructed to join Nagarjuna Sagar tail pond (FRL 75 m MSL) irrigating lands en route along Krishna river in Guntur district. During drought years, the water transferred by this canal to Nagarjuna Sagar tail pond is further lifted to Nagarjuna Sagar and Srisailam reservoirs with the existing pumped storage hydro units for use in all the projects receiving water from these reservoirs. This high level lift canal is an alternative to Dummugudem to Sagar lift canal planned in Telangana region which would transfer Godavari river water from Dummugudem to Nagarjuna Sagar tail pond.[82] Ultimately the Polavaram right bank canal would be remodelled to enhance its capacity to 50,000 cusecs by raising its embankments for augmenting water transfer to meet shortages in the Krishna river basin and the needed environmental flows downstream of Prakasam barrage.[82]

A 25 MW hydropower station can be established utilising Polavaram right bank canal water near Vijayawada city by transferring water via Budameru river and Eluru canal to Prakasam barrage pond.[83]

 
Godavari delta (top river) and Krishna River delta (bottom river in the image) extending into the Bay of Bengal.

Fresh water coastal reservoir

A fresh water coastal reservoir of storage capacity 1000 Tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) could be constructed along the sea coast to store the Krishna & Godavari river flood waters for creating additional irrigated area in Prakasam, Potti Sriramulu Nellore, Cudapah, Chittoor districts and further transfer of Godavari water to Kavery river in Tamil Nadu under interstate rivers linking project[84][85] This project is similar to Kalpasar Project to store Narmada River water in Gulf of Khambhat sea.[86][87]

Fresh water coastal reservoirs can be established in the shallow sea area by constructing sea dikes / bunds/ causeway up to the depth of 20 meters from the coast line. Water can be pumped from this artificial freshwater lagoon throughout the year for meeting agriculture, etc. needs. Also top surface of the dike can be used as coastal road & rail rout. The proposed dikes would be similar to the land reclamation of North Sea area called Delta Works in Netherlands or Saemangeum Seawall in South Korea. The earth bunds / dikes located on sea bed at 20 meters below the sea level, is lesser challenging technically when compared to Saemangeum Seawall project which is having 36 meters average water depth.[88][89]

The sea area up to 20 meters depth adjacent to coast line between the locations (near 16°19′19″N 81°42′22″E / 16.32194°N 81.70611°E / 16.32194; 81.70611 (Eastern tip of Coastal reservoir)) where Vashista Godavari, the right side branch of the Godavari river, is joining the sea and the mouth of the Gundlakamma River (near 15°34′09″N 80°13′49″E / 15.56917°N 80.23028°E / 15.56917; 80.23028 (Western tip of Coastal reservoir)), is highly suitable for creating the freshwater coastal reservoir. The average width of the sea up to 20 m depth is nearly 16 km wide and the length of the sea dikes is nearly 200 km. The area of the coastal reservoir would be nearly 2900 km2. A barrage would be constructed across the Vashista Godavari river (near 16°19′41″N 81°43′15″E / 16.32806°N 81.72083°E / 16.32806; 81.72083 (Vashista Godavari barrage)) near Antervedi Pallipalem town.[84] A flood canal (1.5 km long) from this barrage would feed Godavari river water to the coastal reservoir. With 70 tmcft live storage above the full supply level of its canals and another 100 tmcft above the spillway sill level, Polavaram reservoir will assist in moderating the Godavari flood water to make adequate water flow to the coastal reservoir.

The offshore earth dam extending up to 8 m msl high, is in the form of two parallel dikes separated by 1000 meters gap. The main purpose of the twin dikes is to prevent any sea water seepage into the coastal reservoir as its water level is below the sea water level. The water level between the dikes is always maintained at a minimum of 2 m above sea level by pumping fresh water from the coastal reservoir to the 1000 m gap between the dikes. The higher level water barrier between the two dikes fully eliminates any seawater seepage into the coastal reservoir by establishing freshwater seepage to the sea. The rainwater falling on the coastal reservoir area and runoff water from its catchment area is adequate to cater to the seepage and evaporation losses from the coastal reservoir. The 180 km long, 1000 m gap between the two dikes is also used as deep water mega harbor for shipping, ship breaking, ship building, etc.[90] For shipping purpose, the breakwater outer dike facing the sea is envisaged with few locks fitted with twin gates for access to the open sea. The top surface of the inner dike would serve as access to the mainland from the mega harbor with rail and road links. The coastal reservoir whose full reservoir water level (FRL) is at 0.0 m msl, would also reduce drastically the cyclone damage and flooding in coastal areas of West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur and Prakasam districts. It would also greatly improve the irrigated coastal land drainage in these districts. The coastal reservoir area can also be used for locating floating solar power plants to generate the needed water pumping power.[91] The dikes are built by dredging sand and clay from the nearby shallow sea bed to reduce the construction cost. Nearly 1850 tmcft of water of Godavari and Krishna flood waters can be utilized for irrigation, etc. requirements with this freshwater coastal reservoir.

Vast lands in the districts of Prakasam, Nellore, Cudapah, Ananthapur and Chittoor are drought prone and do not have adequate water sources for irrigating the dry lands.[92] Water from this coastal reservoir would be pumped uplands to Ramathirtham water tank (near 15°37′37″N 79°48′47″E / 15.62694°N 79.81306°E / 15.62694; 79.81306) which is at 85 m msl.[93] From this water tank, dry lands in Prakasam and Nellore districts up to Tamil Nadu border can be brought under irrigation by gravity canals. From this canal, water would be further pumped to the uplands up to 600 m msl across the Seshachalam mountains to irrigate vast area in Chittoor, Cudapah and Ananthapur districts. This gravity canal would also be extended further to transfer 350 tmcft water up to the Kavery river in Tamil Nadu state during South-west monsoon period. The total cost to Andhra Pradesh state would be less than ₹30,000 crores which is nearly ₹1,00,000 per acre of irrigated land.[94]

Controversies

The proposed project would displace 276 villages and 44,574 families spread across Andhra Pradesh state mainly. Tribals constitute 50% of such a displaced population.[95] Human rights activists came out against the project because of these reasons. In addition, one activist pointed out that this interlinking of the rivers will harm the interests of the region in the state.[96] Environmental activist Medha Patkar said that the project not only will displace several thousands of families, it will also submerge several archaeological sites, coal deposits, a wildlife sanctuary in Papikonda National Park, and several hectares of farm land.[97]

Sixty-four years after the initial conception of the project, the Government of Andhra Pradesh secured the environmental clearance from the central agency in 2005. This clearance was obtained after the state government prepared a ₹4,500 crore forest management plan and rehabilitation and resettlement proposal covering 59,756 hectares that were being lost under the project.[98] In addition, ₹40,000 was to be allotted for each dwelling to be constructed for the displaced as against ₹25,000 provided by other states.[99] Despite this clearance, the project faced political roadblocks. The Communist Party of India (M) and Bharat Rashtra Samithi were troubled with the issue of submerging agricultural lands by the project.[100][101]

Meanwhile, work on the project began in April 2006 and was expected to be completed by February 2007.[102] After 30% work of excavation work on the canals and 15% of the spillway works had been completed, the work was halted in May 2006 to seek clearance from the Ministry of Forests and Environment.[103]

The neighbouring state of Odisha also expressed its concern on the submerging of its land and decided to study this together with the officials from Andhra Pradesh.[104] In response, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Late Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy clarified that neither Odisha nor Chhattisgarh would be affected by the construction.[105] The problem continued until 2010, when Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik remained steadfast in his demand for compensation and rehabilitation of tribals of his state who would be displaced due to the submerging of their land.[106]

Odisha and Chhattisgarh have filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the Project which has probability of temporarily submerging large areas of its state and allege that union government are going ahead with the project without the necessary permissions from Environment Ministry. Under section 90 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, union government has taken the responsibility of taking all clearances and approvals for the project execution and also declared the project as national project.[107] The states also allege that public hearing in the effected areas are not held. Under section 90 (3) of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, Telangana state has already given the approval in all respects to the Polavaram project.[107][108]

In June 2018, it was reported that Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha had written to the Central Government to halt the Polavaram Project.[109]

Interstate river water disputes

Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh entered into an agreement (clause vi of final order, page 80 of original GWDT) which was made part of Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (GWDT) award.[69] The agreement allows Andhra Pradesh to construct the Polavaram reservoir with full reservoir level (FRL) at 150 feet above the mean sea level (MSL). Odisha approached Supreme Court against the design discharge capacity of the Polavaram dam spillway stating that it should be designed for five million cusecs (cubic feet per second) which is the estimated probable maximum flood (PMF) once in 1000 years duration. Odisha argues that otherwise there would be additional submergence above 150  ft MSL in its territory during peak floods. The recorded maximum flood is 3.0 million cusecs in the year 1986 during the last 115 years.[110][41]

The projected back water level build-up at Konta due to PMF in Godavari river after construction of the Polavaram project with the designed maximum water level (measured at dam point) shall be cross-checked with the level that can occur at Konta in Sabari basin from the PMF generated in the upstream of Konta when the downstream main Godavari is not under spate. Then only enhanced submergence during the PMF of the Godavari river in Odisha and Chhattisgarh states can be assessed due to the Polavaram dam construction.[1][111]

The location of Polavaram dam is in the plain area at approximately 10 km downstream from the 50 km long narrow gorge in the Papi Hills. It is also to be ascertained whether the higher backwater level during the PMF in Godavari river is solely due to the presence of long narrow gorge which is acting as a natural dam/barrier or further enhanced by the presence of the downstream Polavaram barrage.[112][1]

It is purely an academic interest showing concern for the few thousand hectares of farm/forest land submerged by the backwater level build-up once in five hundred or thousand years (against the permitted norm of once in 25 years) without showing concern for the thousands of square kilometers land submerged in the area downstream of the dam with a river flood of magnitude five million cusecs.[1]

Thirty-two years have passed after the GWDT award in 1980, Maharashtra, Odisha and Chhattisgarh have not made serious efforts to harness the major Godavari tributaries such as Sabari River, Indravati River and Pranahita River to utilize the allocated share of Godavari waters. This underutilization of water is the main reason for the very high flood flows at the Polavaram dam site. The vast area in excess of 10,000 square km up to sea are frequently flooded (at least once in a decade) by Godavari floods in Andhra Pradesh by the flood waters originating in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Chhattisgarh states. The land submergence due to the Polavaram dam in Odisha and Chhattisgarh states is a fraction of the Andhra Pradesh area which is affected by the floods in the Godavari River. During the years from 1953 to 2011, Andhra Pradesh suffered nearly ₹55,800 crore which is 26% of total flood damage in India.[113] It is justified to raise the FRL of Polavaram dam further on this ground alone. One single criterion shall be applied by the tribunals/courts for all the submerged lands whether they are related to reservoir projects construction or due to river floods (i.e. non-utilization of river water). Upstream states shall not take granted that downstream state areas are permitted to be flooded /inundated by the river flood water without offering agreeable relief/comforts.[1]

Odisha and Chhattisgarh entered into an agreement (clause 3e, Annexure F, Page 159 of original GWDT) to construct a Hydro electricity project at Konta / Motu just upstream of the confluence point of Sileru tributary with Sabari River (tri-junction point of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh borders).[114] When this project is constructed, the land submergence would be more than that of Polavaram backwaters. It would be better for Odisha and Chhattisgarh to enter into an agreement with Andhra Pradesh to shift the location of this Hydro electricity project further downstream in Andhra Pradesh territory to harness Sileru river water also for hydroelectricity generation. This joint project of the three states would eliminate the backwaters issue of the Polavaram dam.[citation needed]

The 200  km long stretch of the Sabari river forming boundary between Chhattisgarh and Odisha drops by 2.25 meters per km length on average. This stretch of the river has substantial hydroelectricity generation potential by building medium head (< 20 m) barrages in series to minimize land submergence.[115] The surplus water of Indravati River in Odisha can also be diverted to Sabari river via Jouranala through which Indravati River flood waters naturally overflow into Sabari basin for power generation.[116]

Dispute with Odisha and Telangana

In July 2018, a two-member bench of the Supreme Court asked Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha and Chhattisgarh governments to frame the issues for arguments. Telangana said to the court it is in-principle agree for the project but the center should take up study by neutral central institute like CWPRS, Pune to study the impact of Backwater due to increase of 36 lakh cusecs to 50 lakh cusecs of spillway design discharge, it is to ascertain the safety of important temple town like Bhadrachalam, Mining areas and heavy water Plant. Orissa also insisted on backwater studies.[1] The matter is before Supreme court. Proceedings are going on. Supreme Court identified 13 issues to settle the dispute.[117]

See also

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August 24, 2023
polavaram, project, other, uses, polavaram, disambiguation, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, p. For other uses see Polavaram disambiguation This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Polavaram Project news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article may be in need of reorganization to comply with Wikipedia s layout guidelines Please help by editing the article to make improvements to the overall structure August 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message The Polavaram Project is an under construction multi purpose irrigation project on the Godavari River in the Eluru District and East Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh The project has been accorded National project status by the Central Government of India 3 4 5 Its reservoir back water spreads 6 up to the Dummugudem Anicut i e approx 150 km back from Polavaram dam on main river side and approx 115 km on Sabari River side Thus back water spreads into parts of Chhattisgarh and Odisha States 7 8 It gives major boost to tourism sector in Godavari Districts as the reservoir covers the famous Papikonda National Park Polavaram hydro electric project HEP and National Waterway 4 are under construction on left side of the river It is located 40 km to the upstream of Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage in Rajamahendravaram City and 25 km from Rajahmundry Airport Polavaram ProjectLocation of Polavaram Project in Andhra PradeshCountryIndiaLocationPolavaram Eluru district Andhra PradeshCoordinates17 17 21 N 81 39 05 E 17 28917 N 81 65139 E 17 28917 81 65139PurposeHydroelectric irrigation amp water supplyStatusUnder constructionConstruction began2004Opening date2025 July Expected Owner s Government of Andhra PradeshOperator s Andhra PradeshDam and spillwaysType of damConcrete spill way 1128 m Non over flow concrete dam 140 m amp Earth cum rock fill dam 2454 m ImpoundsGodavari RiverHeight39 28 m 129 ft up to top of earth dam above the lowest river bed Length3 722 m 12 211 ft Spillway typeChute spillwaySpillway capacity3 600 000 cusecs at 140 ft msl 1 ReservoirCreatesPolavaram ReservoirTotal capacity194 tmcft at FRL 150 ft mslActive capacity175 tmcft above 25 4 m msl crest level of spillway Inactive capacity19 tmcft below 25 4 m msl Catchment area307 800 km2 118 800 sq mi Surface area600 km2 230 sq mi Maximum water depth32 08 m at FRL 150 ft mslPower StationOperator s APGENCOCommission date2026Turbines12 80 MW Kaplan type left bank side Installed capacity960 MW under construction 2 Annual generation2 29 billion kWhWebsiteapgenco wbr gov wbr in wbr Main wbr polavaram wbr project Contents 1 History 2 Progress 3 Purpose 4 Alternate site 5 Technical details 6 Financing 7 Interstate water sharing 8 Future potential uses 8 1 Godavari Penna River linking 8 2 Godavari Krishna River linking 8 3 Fresh water coastal reservoir 9 Controversies 10 Interstate river water disputes 11 Dispute with Odisha and Telangana 12 See also 13 ReferencesHistory EditIn July 1941 the first conceptual proposal for the project was mooted by the erstwhile Madras Presidency Diwan Bahadur L Venkatakrishna Iyer then Chief Engineer in the Presidency s irrigation department made the first survey of the project site and made a definitive proposal for a reservoir at Polavaram Sri Iyer not only envisaged cultivation of 350 000 acres 140 000 ha over two crop seasons through this project but also planned for a 40 MW hydroelectric plant within the project 9 The project when it was conceived in 1946 47 was estimated to cost Rs 129 crore In 1980 then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Tanguturi Anjaiah laid the foundation stone for the prestigious Polavaram irrigation project In the year 2004 Y S Rajasekhara Reddy performs bhoomi pooja with the estimation cost of 8 261 cr and the administrative sanction was accorded for construction of right and left canals at a cost of Rs 1 320 crore and Rs 1 353 crore After decades of delay the main Polavaram Dam construction began under the next successive government of N Chandrababu Naidu After 2014 elections then Chief Minister elect N Chandrababu Naidu has refused to be sworn in unless an ordinance is issued merging seven mandals of Khammam district with divided Andhra Pradesh stating only then can the Polavaram Project be completed without further delay in future 10 The Polavaram Project Authority was constituted by the Union Cabinet in May 2014 and the construction of project head works were taken up earnestly 11 The Naidu government has acquired the complete lands that required across the right canal by solving court petition issues of farmers who lost their agricultural lands from both districts of West Godavari and Krishna and the Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Project has been launched in order to pump the Godavari river water and sent to Krishna river 12 13 In June the state was bifurcated under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act In December 2017 it was reported that the project contractor Transstroy was seeking a deadline extension and a budget escalation 14 Transstroy was reported to have its 4 300 crore loan turn NPA in July 2015 15 In January 2018 the state government signed a new contract for the project spillway spill channel and stilling basin concrete work with Navayuga Engineering 16 By June 2018 1 10 355 acres of the required 1 68 213 acres had been acquired 17 On June 11 2018 the Polavaram diaphragm wall was completed marking a significant milestone in the project construction 18 On January 7 2019 The Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh entered the Guinness Book of World Records by pouring 32 100 cubic meters of concrete in 24 hours by Navayuga Engineering The project beat the existing record of 21 580 cubic meters which was achieved by Abdul Wahid Bin Shabib RALS Contracting LLC and Alfa Eng Consultant all UAE in Dubai between May 18 and 20 in 2017 19 The Chief minister of Andhra Pradesh N Chandrababu Naidu unveiled the first crest gate of Polavaram project on 24 December 2018 20 The head works status was 30 completion as of May 2019 Progress EditMilestone Start Date Completion DateSpill way concreting work 30 December 2016 21 mostly completed as of May 2021Diaphragm Wall of earth cum rock fill ECRF dam 1 February 2017 22 11 June 2018 23 Jet Grouting January 8 2018 24 October 29 2018 25 Upper coffer dam grouting June 8 2017 26 Jan 8 2018 27 Lower coffer dam grouting June 8 2017 26 Under constructionSpill channel concreting work Apr 23 2018 28 Under constructionRight bank canal head works Under constructionLeft bank canal head works Under constructionNavigation tunnel Under constructionRight bank canal works 2016 90 completed Left bank canal works Under constructionHydroelectric power plant Under constructionBlocking the natural course of the Godavari by raising the upper coffer dam level above the crest level 17 3 m MSL of river sluice vertical gates 10 nos provided in the spillway to divert the Godavari water through these gates 29 27 May 2021Godavari water flows diverted fully through the river sluice gates of the spillway via the approach channel 30 11 June 2021 31 Upper coffer dam works completed 31 January 2022All the 48 barrage gates are fully erected and water can be stored in the reservoir to the extent permitted by the upper coffer dam design 30 June 2022Lower coffer dam works completed 17 February 2023 32 Completion of inspection and field investigation of damaged diaphragm wall during the 2020 Godavari floods and the decision was given to rectify the damage that took place 5 March 2023 33 Repair works of damaged diaphragm wall 8 March 2023ECRF dam yet to startPurpose EditNational River Linking Project which works under the aegis of the Indian Ministry of Water Resources was designed to overcome the deficit in water in the country 34 As a part of this plan surplus water from the Himalayan rivers is to be transferred to the peninsular rivers of India 35 This exercise with a combined network of 30 river links and a total length of 14 900 kilometres 9 300 mi at an estimated cost of US 120 billion in 1999 would be the largest ever infrastructure project in the world 36 In this project s case the Godavari river basin 37 is considered as a surplus one while the Krishna River basin is considered to be a deficit one 38 As of 2008 644 tmcft of underutilised water from Godavari River flowed into the Bay of Bengal 39 But as of 2017 over 3000 tmcft are drained unutilised into Bay of Bengal 40 Based on the estimated water requirements in 2025 the Study recommended that sizeable surplus water was to be transferred from the Godavari River basin to the Krishna River basin 38 Polavaram project Canal view near Talupulamma LovaThe capacity of right and left canals are 17 500 cusecs each During the monsoon months July to October nearly 360 tmcft of Godavari flood flows at the rate of 3 tmcft per day can be diverted into the canals 41 At least another 190 tmcft water from the water stored in the Polavaram reservoir along with lean season inflows excluding the downstream Godavari Delta water requirements can be diverted into these canals Thus the total annual water utilization capacity of the Polavaram project is 550 tmcft The water storage available in Sileru river basin is used as usual for the full water requirements of the Godavari Delta The hydropower plant 960 MW will generate 2 29 billion kWh green or renewable electricity annually 2 Polavaram reservoir will also create the potential to install nearly 1 58 000 MW high head pumped storage hydroelectric plants in the future Alternate site EditThe dam could not be taken up for construction during the last century on techno economical grounds The proposed dam site at Polavaram is located where the river emerges from the last range of the Eastern Ghats into plains covered with deep alluvial sandy strata 42 At Polavaram the river width is about 1500 m In view of large depth of excavation which is more than 30 m deep to reach hard rock at this dam site the dam project was not found economical to take up However a lucrative alternate site is feasible located in upstream of Polavaram site where the river passes through deep gorges of Papi hill range 43 The width of river is about 300 m only in the rocky gorge stretch Thirty years back this alternative was found technologically challenging task to connect the reservoir with the irrigation canals via tunnels across the ghat area Also costly underground hydro electric station is mandated compared to river bed based hydro electric station When the project was actually taken up in the year 2004 the old finalised designs at Polavaram site are adopted without re examining the latest cost of upstream alternate site in view of state of the art construction technology of tunnels and underground hydroelectric station The progress up to the year 2012 in construction of dam structures and the hydro electric station is almost nil 44 The alternate site located in the gorge stretch is still worth of re examination to reduce the ever increasing cost of Polavaram dam The spillway and non overflow dam are founded on Khondalite bedrock in Polavaram Project 43 Khondalites which are feldspar rich often contain soft graphite hard garnet etc in addition to other minerals Khondalites are highly weathered and hence unsuitable at dam site 45 Technical details Edit Aqueduct across Tammileru near EluruThe project reservoir has live storage 75 2 tmcft at canal s full supply level of 41 15 metres 135 ft MSL and gross storage 194 tmcft thereby enabling irrigation of 23 20 000 acres including stabilisation of existing irrigated lands in Krishna West Godavari Eluru district East Godavari Visakhapatnam Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts of Andhra Pradesh 46 47 The silt free dead storage water of nearly 100 tmcft above the spillway crest level 24 5 metres 80 ft MSL can also be used in downstream lift irrigation projects Pattiseema lift Tadipudi lift Chintalapudi lift Thorrigedda lift Pushkara lift Purushothapatnam lift Venkatanagaram lift Chagalnadu lift etc and Dowleswaram Barrage during the summer months 43 48 49 50 Chintalapudi lift Jalleru project will supply water to irrigate most of the highlands in Eluru district and NTR districts including the existing command area under Nagarjunasagar left canal in AP facilitating 40 tmcft saved Krishna river water for diversion to Rayalaseema from Srisailam reservoir 48 GoAP announced the decision to construct Purushothapatnam lift irrigation scheme to transfer water at the rate of 3 500 cusecs to Polavaram left bank canal and further pumping at the rate of 1 400 cusecs to Yeleru reservoir for feeding Yeleru canal which is supplying water to Vizag city 51 52 Uttarandhra Sujala Sravanthi lift irrigation scheme will also use the Godavari water and a sanction of 2 114 crores was made in 2017 for its first phase 53 54 All the irrigated lands under these lift schemes can be supplied from Polavaram right and left canals by gravity flow when Polavaram reservoir level is above the canal s full supply level of 41 15 m MSL However these lift stations are to be operated every year during the dry season to draw water from the substantial dead storage available behind the flood gates of the Polavaram dam So these lift schemes are not for few years operation till the Polavaram dam is constructed but for permanent operation regularly for at least four months in every year Nearly 80 tmcft live storage capacity available to Andhra Pradesh in Sileru river basin can also augment the water availability additionally to the Polavaram project during the dry season 55 The dam construction involves the building of a 1 5 m thick concrete diaphragm wall up to depths from 40 to 120 m below the river bed under the earth dam which is the first of its kind in India 56 The purpose of diaphragm wall is to secure the river bed stability for withstanding the water pressure across the dam The project would constitute an earth cum rock fill dam of 2 310 metres 7 580 ft length spillway of 907 metres 2 976 ft with 48 vents to enable discharge of 5 000 000 cu ft s 140 000 m3 s of water 57 The spillway is located on the right bank of the river for which nearly 5 5 km long and 1 0 km wide approach and spill channels up to river bed level is envisaged involving nearly 70 million cubic meters earth rock excavation which is nearly 2 3rd of the project s total earthwork The maximum flood level at Polavaram is 28 metres 92 ft MSL and lowest water level is 10 9 metres 36 ft MSL Two cofferdams are planned one up to 41 metres 135 ft MSL to facilitate faster pace of work on earth cum rock fill dam to complete the first phase of the project by June 2018 58 With coffer dams inclusion and the bed level of the approach and discharge canals of the spillway increased to 17 metres 56 ft MSL the spillway related rock excavation is reduced by 70 leading to substantial cost reduction in the project s head works cost Ultimately the material of cofferdams would be excavated and reused for the peripheral portions of the main earth cum rock fill dam On the left side of the river 12 water turbines each having 80 Megawatt capacity were to be installed Without removing the upper and lower coffer dams after the construction of the ECRF dam the 960 MW hydropower plant can not be commissioned as they are blocking the water passages of the powerhouse The right canal connecting to Krishna River in upstream of Prakasam Barrage 173 kilometres 107 mi long discharges 17 500 cu ft s 500 m3 s at head works and left canal 182 kilometres 113 mi long discharges 17 500 cu ft s 500 m3 s of water 46 Indira Dummugudem lift irrigation scheme starting at 17 33 49 N 81 14 49 E 17 56361 N 81 24694 E 17 56361 81 24694 Rudrammakota is under construction to supply irrigation water for 200 000 acres in Khammam Krishna Eluru and West Godavari districts drawing Godavari River water from the backwaters of Polavaram reservoir 59 This is a joint project between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states This project was shelved and merged with another project by the Telangana state Financing EditThe revised cost of the total project including the 960 MW power station is 47 726 crores at 2017 18 prices 60 In December 2016 NABARD handed over 1 981 crores as part of its loan from the Long Term Irrigation Fund LTIF under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana PMKSY 61 NABARD provided a loan of 2 981 54 crores during 2016 17 and 979 36 crores during 2017 18 under the LTIF to the National Water Development Authority NWDA for the project 62 Polavaram canal near Eluru In its 2018 budget Andhra Pradesh allocated 9000 crores to the project 63 In June 2018 the Central Government approved 1 400 crores which had been sanctioned in January but not released through Extra Budgetary Resources raised by NABARD These funds were from outside the LTIF 64 In January 2018 it was reported that the project cost had escalated to 58 319 crore 65 In June 2018 The Water Ministry sanctioned 417 44 crore as grant in aid under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana PMKSY towards the project 66 By June 2018 13 000 crore had been spent on the project 17 An expenditure of 16 035 88 crores has been incurred on the project from April 2014 to December 2022 A sum of 13 226 04 crores has been released by the Centre for the execution of the project since April 2014 Bills amounting to 2 390 27 crores were rejected for reimbursement by the Polavaram Project Authority PPA Bills amounting to 548 crores have been received by the PPA for examination 67 Interstate water sharing EditAs per the inter state agreements dated 4 August 1978 page 89 and 29 January 1979 page 101 with Andhra Pradesh the states of Karnataka and Maharashtra are entitled to use 21 tmcft and 14 tmcft respectively out of the unallocated waters of Krishna river when Godavari water transferred in a year by Polavaram right bank canal from Polavaram reservoir to Prakasam barrage across Krishna river is not exceeding 80 tmcft at 75 dependability 68 69 When additional Godavari water exceeding 80 tmcft is transferred from Polavaram reservoir Karnataka and Maharashtra are entitled with additional water from the unallocated Krishna river waters in the same proportion i e 21 14 45 provided all the following conditions are satisfied citation needed The additional Godavari water from Polavaram project should be transferred to the Krishna river in the upstream of Prakasam barrage Such additional Godavari water quantity to be shared is decided based on 75 dependability The transferred water shall also displace the water discharges from Nagarjuna Sagar Dam for the Krishna delta requirements Krishna delta is the area located down stream of Prakasam barrage which is part of Krishna basin 70 It does not include adjacent coastal river basins which are being irrigated by the Krishna waters from the Prakasam barrage citation needed Thus Andhra Pradesh is entitled to transfer Godavari water in excess of 80 tmcft in three out of four years below 75 dependability reducing the water releases from Nagarjunasagar dam for Krishna delta requirements and need not share water with other states beyond 80 tmcft citation needed The above interstate water sharing agreement does not cover the Godavari water transferred to Krishna river which is not displacing the water releases from the Nagarjunasagar dam for the requirements of Krishna delta Thus Andhra Pradesh need not share with other states the water transferred via Krishna river or any reservoir located on Krishna river for the water needs of any of its area including Krishna basin other than Krishna delta citation needed Future potential uses EditGodavari Penna River linking Edit To stabilize the existing irrigated ayacut area under Nagarjuna sagar right canal a new lift project construction with greenfield alignment was started in the first phase of Godavari Penna River linking project by having five step ladder pumping stages and a gravity canals to transfer 7 000 cusecs of Godavari water 71 from Prakasam Barrage back waters into the Nagarjuna sagar right canal near Nekarikallu by utilizing 73 tmcft of Godavari water With FRL 25M newly created 72 Vykuntapuram Barrage pond will have back waters beyond Pokkunuru up to the toe of Pulichinthala Project It is more economical to construct first stage pump house of this lift project to lift water from Prakasam Barrage back waters into newly created Vykuntapuram Barrage pond and the second lift stage from Vykuntapuram Barrage pond to existing K L Rao sagar Pulichintala Project and later lift stages from K L Rao Sagar to Nagarjuna sagar right canal It will shorten the length of this lift project canal Pressure Main and fewer lift stages and also enables the lifting of water up to Srisailam Project via Existing Reversible Reverse turbine pump houses in Nagarjuna Sagar Dam and Srisailam project It is even more economical if we construct a new gravity canal from Ibrahimpatnam to Vykuntapuram Barrage pond to deliver the Polavaram right main canal Budameru diversion canal waters directly into the Vykuntapuram barrage pond since canal level is 33 m MSL at Ambapuram hill near Vijayawada As water supply from Nagarjuna Sagar Left Bank Canal is highly erratic Muktyala Lift Irrigation scheme is proposed by drawing water from the back waters of Vykuntapuram barrage on left bank of Krishna river 73 There is a proposal to link Nagarjuna Sagar Dam across the Krishna River and Somasila Dam across Penna River with 400 km canal as part of national river linking program With help from the Indian Government AP Govt can construct a new canal up to Somasila Dam as per DPR of Indian Rivers Inter link program specifications 74 Thus the Godavari River water will travel up to Somasila Dam and then Swarnamukhi in Chittoor district via existing Somasila Swarnamukhi link canal GoAP can also provide water to Tamil Nadu with this Godavari water and retained water in Krishna River 15 TMC allocation of Krishna water to Telugu Ganga will be used for other projects in Rayalaseema region 75 In future a new massive dam named Palnadu Sagar 76 across hill range near Bollapalle 77 with 700 TMC capacity reservoir is possible using of flood water of Krishna River and Godavari River diverted with this lift project It will submerge nearly 300Sq KM of land at FRL 260m MSL Palnadu Sagar spillway with Francis Turbine will take and release water into Nagarjuna Sagar right canal along with Hydroelectricity power generation Flood water of Krishna River will be pumped to Palnadu Sagar The water stored in Palnadu Sagar will be used for irrigation and drinking in drought years citation needed Godavari Krishna River linking Edit Vykuntapuram barrage would be constructed on Krishna river located near 16 34 41 N 80 24 43 E 16 57806 N 80 41194 E 16 57806 80 41194 in the upstream of Prakasam barrage with FRL at 25m MSL to receive Godavari water diverted from Polavaram dam 78 79 A low level lift canal from the Krishna river located near 16 42 50 N 80 08 24 E 16 71389 N 80 14000 E 16 71389 80 14000 at 20 m MSL in the downstream of Pulichintala dam will be executed to feed Godavari water diverted from Polavaram Dam to some of the existing command area situated below 60 m MSL under Nagarjuna Sagar right bank canal to facilitate extension of Nagarjuna Sagar right bank canal connecting to Kandaleru feeder canal Somasila reservoir for serving irrigation needs in Prakasam Potti Sriramulu Nellore and Chittur districts including Chennai drinking water supply A branch from this lift canal is also extended up to Pulichinthala dam FRL 53 34 m MSL to store Godavari water in Pulichintala reservoir during drought years and to irrigate low lands along Krishna river up to Pulichintala dam 80 81 Another high level lift canal from above Krishna river location 16 42 50 N 80 08 24 E 16 71389 N 80 14000 E 16 71389 80 14000 up to 90 m MSL would be constructed to join Nagarjuna Sagar tail pond FRL 75 m MSL irrigating lands en route along Krishna river in Guntur district During drought years the water transferred by this canal to Nagarjuna Sagar tail pond is further lifted to Nagarjuna Sagar and Srisailam reservoirs with the existing pumped storage hydro units for use in all the projects receiving water from these reservoirs This high level lift canal is an alternative to Dummugudem to Sagar lift canal planned in Telangana region which would transfer Godavari river water from Dummugudem to Nagarjuna Sagar tail pond 82 Ultimately the Polavaram right bank canal would be remodelled to enhance its capacity to 50 000 cusecs by raising its embankments for augmenting water transfer to meet shortages in the Krishna river basin and the needed environmental flows downstream of Prakasam barrage 82 A 25 MW hydropower station can be established utilising Polavaram right bank canal water near Vijayawada city by transferring water via Budameru river and Eluru canal to Prakasam barrage pond 83 Godavari delta top river and Krishna River delta bottom river in the image extending into the Bay of Bengal Fresh water coastal reservoir Edit A fresh water coastal reservoir of storage capacity 1000 Tmcft thousand million cubic feet could be constructed along the sea coast to store the Krishna amp Godavari river flood waters for creating additional irrigated area in Prakasam Potti Sriramulu Nellore Cudapah Chittoor districts and further transfer of Godavari water to Kavery river in Tamil Nadu under interstate rivers linking project 84 85 This project is similar to Kalpasar Project to store Narmada River water in Gulf of Khambhat sea 86 87 Fresh water coastal reservoirs can be established in the shallow sea area by constructing sea dikes bunds causeway up to the depth of 20 meters from the coast line Water can be pumped from this artificial freshwater lagoon throughout the year for meeting agriculture etc needs Also top surface of the dike can be used as coastal road amp rail rout The proposed dikes would be similar to the land reclamation of North Sea area called Delta Works in Netherlands or Saemangeum Seawall in South Korea The earth bunds dikes located on sea bed at 20 meters below the sea level is lesser challenging technically when compared to Saemangeum Seawall project which is having 36 meters average water depth 88 89 The sea area up to 20 meters depth adjacent to coast line between the locations near 16 19 19 N 81 42 22 E 16 32194 N 81 70611 E 16 32194 81 70611 Eastern tip of Coastal reservoir where Vashista Godavari the right side branch of the Godavari river is joining the sea and the mouth of the Gundlakamma River near 15 34 09 N 80 13 49 E 15 56917 N 80 23028 E 15 56917 80 23028 Western tip of Coastal reservoir is highly suitable for creating the freshwater coastal reservoir The average width of the sea up to 20 m depth is nearly 16 km wide and the length of the sea dikes is nearly 200 km The area of the coastal reservoir would be nearly 2900 km2 A barrage would be constructed across the Vashista Godavari river near 16 19 41 N 81 43 15 E 16 32806 N 81 72083 E 16 32806 81 72083 Vashista Godavari barrage near Antervedi Pallipalem town 84 A flood canal 1 5 km long from this barrage would feed Godavari river water to the coastal reservoir With 70 tmcft live storage above the full supply level of its canals and another 100 tmcft above the spillway sill level Polavaram reservoir will assist in moderating the Godavari flood water to make adequate water flow to the coastal reservoir The offshore earth dam extending up to 8 m msl high is in the form of two parallel dikes separated by 1000 meters gap The main purpose of the twin dikes is to prevent any sea water seepage into the coastal reservoir as its water level is below the sea water level The water level between the dikes is always maintained at a minimum of 2 m above sea level by pumping fresh water from the coastal reservoir to the 1000 m gap between the dikes The higher level water barrier between the two dikes fully eliminates any seawater seepage into the coastal reservoir by establishing freshwater seepage to the sea The rainwater falling on the coastal reservoir area and runoff water from its catchment area is adequate to cater to the seepage and evaporation losses from the coastal reservoir The 180 km long 1000 m gap between the two dikes is also used as deep water mega harbor for shipping ship breaking ship building etc 90 For shipping purpose the breakwater outer dike facing the sea is envisaged with few locks fitted with twin gates for access to the open sea The top surface of the inner dike would serve as access to the mainland from the mega harbor with rail and road links The coastal reservoir whose full reservoir water level FRL is at 0 0 m msl would also reduce drastically the cyclone damage and flooding in coastal areas of West Godavari Krishna Guntur and Prakasam districts It would also greatly improve the irrigated coastal land drainage in these districts The coastal reservoir area can also be used for locating floating solar power plants to generate the needed water pumping power 91 The dikes are built by dredging sand and clay from the nearby shallow sea bed to reduce the construction cost Nearly 1850 tmcft of water of Godavari and Krishna flood waters can be utilized for irrigation etc requirements with this freshwater coastal reservoir Vast lands in the districts of Prakasam Nellore Cudapah Ananthapur and Chittoor are drought prone and do not have adequate water sources for irrigating the dry lands 92 Water from this coastal reservoir would be pumped uplands to Ramathirtham water tank near 15 37 37 N 79 48 47 E 15 62694 N 79 81306 E 15 62694 79 81306 which is at 85 m msl 93 From this water tank dry lands in Prakasam and Nellore districts up to Tamil Nadu border can be brought under irrigation by gravity canals From this canal water would be further pumped to the uplands up to 600 m msl across the Seshachalam mountains to irrigate vast area in Chittoor Cudapah and Ananthapur districts This gravity canal would also be extended further to transfer 350 tmcft water up to the Kavery river in Tamil Nadu state during South west monsoon period The total cost to Andhra Pradesh state would be less than 30 000 crores which is nearly 1 00 000 per acre of irrigated land 94 Controversies EditThe proposed project would displace 276 villages and 44 574 families spread across Andhra Pradesh state mainly Tribals constitute 50 of such a displaced population 95 Human rights activists came out against the project because of these reasons In addition one activist pointed out that this interlinking of the rivers will harm the interests of the region in the state 96 Environmental activist Medha Patkar said that the project not only will displace several thousands of families it will also submerge several archaeological sites coal deposits a wildlife sanctuary in Papikonda National Park and several hectares of farm land 97 Sixty four years after the initial conception of the project the Government of Andhra Pradesh secured the environmental clearance from the central agency in 2005 This clearance was obtained after the state government prepared a 4 500 crore forest management plan and rehabilitation and resettlement proposal covering 59 756 hectares that were being lost under the project 98 In addition 40 000 was to be allotted for each dwelling to be constructed for the displaced as against 25 000 provided by other states 99 Despite this clearance the project faced political roadblocks The Communist Party of India M and Bharat Rashtra Samithi were troubled with the issue of submerging agricultural lands by the project 100 101 Meanwhile work on the project began in April 2006 and was expected to be completed by February 2007 102 After 30 work of excavation work on the canals and 15 of the spillway works had been completed the work was halted in May 2006 to seek clearance from the Ministry of Forests and Environment 103 The neighbouring state of Odisha also expressed its concern on the submerging of its land and decided to study this together with the officials from Andhra Pradesh 104 In response Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy clarified that neither Odisha nor Chhattisgarh would be affected by the construction 105 The problem continued until 2010 when Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik remained steadfast in his demand for compensation and rehabilitation of tribals of his state who would be displaced due to the submerging of their land 106 Odisha and Chhattisgarh have filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the Project which has probability of temporarily submerging large areas of its state and allege that union government are going ahead with the project without the necessary permissions from Environment Ministry Under section 90 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014 union government has taken the responsibility of taking all clearances and approvals for the project execution and also declared the project as national project 107 The states also allege that public hearing in the effected areas are not held Under section 90 3 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014 Telangana state has already given the approval in all respects to the Polavaram project 107 108 In June 2018 it was reported that Naveen Patnaik Chief Minister of Odisha had written to the Central Government to halt the Polavaram Project 109 Interstate river water disputes EditOdisha Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh entered into an agreement clause vi of final order page 80 of original GWDT which was made part of Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal GWDT award 69 The agreement allows Andhra Pradesh to construct the Polavaram reservoir with full reservoir level FRL at 150 feet above the mean sea level MSL Odisha approached Supreme Court against the design discharge capacity of the Polavaram dam spillway stating that it should be designed for five million cusecs cubic feet per second which is the estimated probable maximum flood PMF once in 1000 years duration Odisha argues that otherwise there would be additional submergence above 150 ft MSL in its territory during peak floods The recorded maximum flood is 3 0 million cusecs in the year 1986 during the last 115 years 110 41 The projected back water level build up at Konta due to PMF in Godavari river after construction of the Polavaram project with the designed maximum water level measured at dam point shall be cross checked with the level that can occur at Konta in Sabari basin from the PMF generated in the upstream of Konta when the downstream main Godavari is not under spate Then only enhanced submergence during the PMF of the Godavari river in Odisha and Chhattisgarh states can be assessed due to the Polavaram dam construction 1 111 The location of Polavaram dam is in the plain area at approximately 10 km downstream from the 50 km long narrow gorge in the Papi Hills It is also to be ascertained whether the higher backwater level during the PMF in Godavari river is solely due to the presence of long narrow gorge which is acting as a natural dam barrier or further enhanced by the presence of the downstream Polavaram barrage 112 1 It is purely an academic interest showing concern for the few thousand hectares of farm forest land submerged by the backwater level build up once in five hundred or thousand years against the permitted norm of once in 25 years without showing concern for the thousands of square kilometers land submerged in the area downstream of the dam with a river flood of magnitude five million cusecs 1 Thirty two years have passed after the GWDT award in 1980 Maharashtra Odisha and Chhattisgarh have not made serious efforts to harness the major Godavari tributaries such as Sabari River Indravati River and Pranahita River to utilize the allocated share of Godavari waters This underutilization of water is the main reason for the very high flood flows at the Polavaram dam site The vast area in excess of 10 000 square km up to sea are frequently flooded at least once in a decade by Godavari floods in Andhra Pradesh by the flood waters originating in Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Odisha and Chhattisgarh states The land submergence due to the Polavaram dam in Odisha and Chhattisgarh states is a fraction of the Andhra Pradesh area which is affected by the floods in the Godavari River During the years from 1953 to 2011 Andhra Pradesh suffered nearly 55 800 crore which is 26 of total flood damage in India 113 It is justified to raise the FRL of Polavaram dam further on this ground alone One single criterion shall be applied by the tribunals courts for all the submerged lands whether they are related to reservoir projects construction or due to river floods i e non utilization of river water Upstream states shall not take granted that downstream state areas are permitted to be flooded inundated by the river flood water without offering agreeable relief comforts 1 Odisha and Chhattisgarh entered into an agreement clause 3e Annexure F Page 159 of original GWDT to construct a Hydro electricity project at Konta Motu just upstream of the confluence point of Sileru tributary with Sabari River tri junction point of Andhra Pradesh Odisha and Chhattisgarh borders 114 When this project is constructed the land submergence would be more than that of Polavaram backwaters It would be better for Odisha and Chhattisgarh to enter into an agreement with Andhra Pradesh to shift the location of this Hydro electricity project further downstream in Andhra Pradesh territory to harness Sileru river water also for hydroelectricity generation This joint project of the three states would eliminate the backwaters issue of the Polavaram dam citation needed The 200 km long stretch of the Sabari river forming boundary between Chhattisgarh and Odisha drops by 2 25 meters per km length on average This stretch of the river has substantial hydroelectricity generation potential by building medium head lt 20 m barrages in series to minimize land submergence 115 The surplus water of Indravati River in Odisha can also be diverted to Sabari river via Jouranala through which Indravati River flood waters naturally overflow into Sabari basin for power generation 116 Dispute with Odisha and Telangana EditIn July 2018 a two member bench of the Supreme Court asked Andhra Pradesh Telangana Odisha and Chhattisgarh governments to frame the issues for arguments Telangana said to the court it is in principle agree for the project but the center should take up study by neutral central institute like CWPRS Pune to study the impact of Backwater due to increase of 36 lakh cusecs to 50 lakh cusecs of spillway design discharge it is to ascertain the safety of important temple town like Bhadrachalam Mining areas and heavy water Plant Orissa also insisted on backwater studies 1 The matter is before Supreme court Proceedings are going on Supreme Court identified 13 issues to settle the dispute 117 See also Edit India portal Water portal Renewable energy portal Musunuri Nayaks Polavaram Eluru district Interstate River Water Disputes Act Water security Steel dam Sriram Sagar Project Nizam Sagar Icchampally Project Balimela Reservoir Jalaput Dam Palar River Nagavali River Vamsadhara RiverReferences Edit a b c d e f Polavaram project studies by NGT PDF Retrieved 1 October 2020 a b Polavaram hydro electric project Retrieved 3 July 2021 List of national projects PDF Retrieved 17 March 2016 Indirasagar Polavaram Project Ministry of water resources GoI Retrieved 17 December 2013 Andhra Pradesh Polavaram Will Be The Last Project With National Project Status Nitin Gadkari All India Times Telangana government to study Polavaram backwaters says Bhadrachalam Temple under threat The New Indian Express Retrieved 4 May 2019 Rao G Venkataramana 12 January 2018 Over 60 000 acres yet to be acquired for Polavaram The Hindu Retrieved 12 January 2018 Agitation against Polavaram SANDRP PDF Retrieved 7 May 2014 Polavaram Project polavaram cgg gov in Retrieved 24 February 2020 Proposed in 1941 but still a dream The New Indian Express Retrieved 24 February 2020 Polavaram Project Authority Ministry of Water Resources River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Polavaram row 36 L acre for Krishna dist ryots The Times of India 19 June 2015 Retrieved 17 April 2020 90 000 acres land acquired for Polavaram irrigation project The Economic Times 3 August 2015 Retrieved 17 April 2020 Transstroy sets new terms for Polavaram Deccan Chronicle 13 December 2017 Retrieved 23 August 2018 Transstroy buys luxury cars soon turns NPA The Financial Express 13 July 2015 Retrieved 23 August 2018 All Polavaram details available on website Government The New Indian Express Retrieved 23 August 2018 a b Polavaram project will be completed by December 2019 AP CM businessline Retrieved 23 August 2018 Naidu inaugurates diaphragm wall pylon of Polavaram project 55 work complete India Today Retrieved 23 August 2018 Andhra Pradesh Polavaram project enters Guinness Book of World Record for concrete pouring indianexpress 7 January 2019 Retrieved 8 January 2019 CM to launch first crest gate of Polavaram project retrieved 8 January 2020 AP CM Chandrababu Naidu to lay stone for Polavaram spillway concrete works today ap7am com Retrieved 3 April 2019 Chandrababu lays foundation for Polavaram diaphragm wall www thehansindia com 1 February 2017 Retrieved 24 February 2020 Diaphragm wall construction of Polavaram project was completed retrieved 11 June 2018 CM Chandrababu Started Jet Grouting Works in Polavaram Project TV5 News retrieved 24 February 2020 Jet Grouting Works Completed in Polavaram Project Gates to be Arranged in December retrieved 29 October 2018 a b Sarma Ch R S 8 June 2017 AP CM Chandrababu Naidu lays foundation stone for Polavaram coffer dam businessline Retrieved 24 February 2020 Polavaram Cofferdam Construction Completed Successfully Before Target Date ABN Telugu retrieved 8 January 2018 AP CM Chandrababu Naidu Lay Foundation Stone For Polavaram Spill Channel Work AP24x7 retrieved 24 February 2020 River sluice gates of the Polavaram Project in Telugu retrieved 28 May 2021 Polavaram Project Full Information retrieved 14 June 2021 First Fruits of Polavaram Project to reach Godavari Delta retrieved 14 June 2021 Andhra Pradesh Work on lower cofferdam at Polavaram project over retrieved 22 February 2023 Polavaram Irrigation Project Rs 2 000 crore needed to repair diaphragm wall retrieved 6 March 2023 Koshy Jacob Bansal Samarth 7 May 2016 Interlinking of rivers an idea with flaws The Hindu Retrieved 24 May 2017 Why India s 168 billion river linking project is a disaster in waiting 18 September 2015 Retrieved 24 May 2017 L Bharati V U Smakhtin B K Anand 2009 Modeling water supply and demand scenarios the Godavari krishna inter basin transfer India PDF Water Policy 11 140 153 doi 10 2166 wp 2009 109 Retrieved 7 August 2013 Godavari river basin map a b Luna Bharati B K Anand Vladmir Smakhtin 2009 Analysis of the Inter basin Water Transfer Scheme in India A Case Study of the Godavari Krishna Link Strategic Analysis of the National River Linking Project NRLP on India 5 63 78 ISBN 9789290907190 Retrieved 4 November 2010 Amarasinghe Upali A Sharma Bharat R 2008 Benefits of Irrigation Water Transfer in the National River Linking Project A Case Study of the Godavari Polavaram Krishna Link in Andhra Pradesh Strategic Analysis of the National River Linking Project NRLP on India 2 173 193 ISBN 9789290906940 Retrieved 4 November 2010 CAG says Andhra s Pattiseema project is a waste of public money in damning report April 2017 Retrieved 24 May 2017 a b Monthly water flow data of Godavari at Polavaram Retrieved 24 May 2021 UTILISATION OF GODAVARI WATER Retrieved 24 May 2017 a b c Salient design data of Polavaram project National Water Development Authority GoI PDF Retrieved 17 February 2013 Irrigation projects status in Andhra Pradesh AP Govt Retrieved 1 October 2013 Engineering Geology of dams by Siva Bharatha Murthy T PDF Retrieved 17 February 2013 a b YSR performs bhoomi pooja for Polavaram project The Financial Express 9 November 2004 Retrieved 4 November 2010 Indirasagar Polavaram Project reservoir Ministry of water resources GoI PDF Retrieved 7 May 2014 a b Refer PPT files dated 22 May 2017 11 CHLIS P NSP for Chintalapudi lift 10 TLIS PPT For Tadipudi lift and 6 PPT ON PPLIS for Purushothapatnam lift Retrieved 3 June 2017 Pattiseema project advanced The Times of India Retrieved 17 November 2015 Tadipudi Lift Station L00054 Retrieved 19 July 2015 MEIL successfully executed PLIS Phase 2 Retrieved 27 July 2018 Vizac city arms itself to battle water woes this summer The Times of India Retrieved 5 March 2018 Babu Jagjeevana Ram Uttarndhra Sujala Sravanthi Retrieved 7 June 2017 Konathala praises Naidu hesitant to join TDP Retrieved 7 June 2017 Reservoir Levels Storages and Equivalent Energy Retrieved 27 January 2019 L amp T Geostructure Bauer Joint Venture has secured an order worth 422 crores PDF Retrieved 7 January 2016 3D views of Polavaram project YouTube Retrieved 17 April 2017 Polavaram The cofferdam which will act as a dam The Hindu Retrieved 9 June 2017 Refer ongoing major projects Indira Dummugudem lift irrigation Retrieved 19 July 2015 Revised cost estimate of Polavaram Project in Telugu Retrieved 8 October 2020 NABARD hands over Rs 1 981 cr cheque for Polavaram project The New Indian Express Retrieved 23 August 2018 Long Term Irrigation Fund LTIF long term benefits for Indian irrigation PDF NABARD AP budget allocates Rs 9 000 cr for Polavaram project businessline Retrieved 23 August 2018 Central nod to Rs 1 400 crore financing for Polavaram project The Indian Express 2 June 2018 Retrieved 23 August 2018 Polavaram dam project cost soars to Rs 58 319 cr The Times of India Retrieved 23 August 2018 Polavaramprojectgets 417 cr grant in aid The Hindu Retrieved 23 August 2018 Polavaram project likely to be completed by March 24 Retrieved 6 March 2023 GWDT Award PDF Government of India Retrieved 21 March 2015 a b Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal final report page 52 Lower Krishna basin watershed map PDF Retrieved 21 March 2016 CM to lay foundation for linking of Godavari Penna rivers on Monday Retrieved 4 December 2018 Srinivas Rajulapudi 14 February 2019 Naidu lays foundation stone for barrage across Krishna The Hindu ISSN 0971 751X Retrieved 1 March 2019 Muktyala Lift Irrigation scheme to be completed in a year says Chandrababu Naidu Retrieved 4 March 2019 Welcome To NWDA nwda gov in Retrieved 4 October 2016 en Telugu Ganga project oldid 876983435 circular reference Clipping of Andhra Jyothy Telugu Daily Andhra Pradesh Retrieved 4 October 2016 AP contemplates Rs 80 000 crore Godavari Pennar river link The New Indian Express Retrieved 6 February 2019 New barrage between Pulichintala dam and Prakasam barrage across Krishna river The Hindu Retrieved 11 January 2016 Experts find new route to divert Godavari water to Krishna basin viable Retrieved 21 February 2021 Need to advance kharif stressed Retrieved 25 December 2018 AP government not utilising Pulichintala Project fully Retrieved 17 August 2018 a b Centre s plan to link Godavari Cauvery irks Telangana The Times of India Retrieved 9 March 2018 refer talk page a b Multipurpose Freshwater Coastal Reservoirs and Their Role in Mitigating Climate Change PDF Retrieved 23 May 2023 My first job is to bring Godavari Krishna water to TN says Nitin Gadkari Retrieved 26 May 2019 Efficacy of coastal reservoirs to address India s water shortage by impounding excess river flood waters near the coast page 49 Retrieved 9 July 2018 International Association for Coastal Reservoir Research Retrieved 9 July 2018 Coastal reservoirs strategy for water resource development a review of future trend Retrieved 9 March 2018 Reservoir in sea to end Bengaluru s drinking water problems The Times of India 8 August 2017 Retrieved 9 March 2018 Gadkari moots Vodarevu for locating port in Prakasam The Hindu 27 September 2018 Retrieved 28 September 2018 Green Power Island A blue battery for green energy 7 May 2013 Retrieved 13 July 2015 Brown Lester R 29 November 2013 India s dangerous food bubble Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on 18 December 2013 Retrieved 13 July 2014 Alt URL Ramathirtham Dam D06139 Retrieved 13 October 2015 India is not running out of water water is running out of India 26 March 2017 Retrieved 9 July 2018 S Laxman Rao Priya Deshingkar John Farrington 30 December 2006 Tribal Land Alienation in Andhra Pradesh PDF Economic and Political Weekly 5401 5407 Retrieved 4 November 2010 Polavaram project will spell doom for tribals Human Rights Forum The Hindu Business Line 19 May 2005 Retrieved 4 November 2010 Green signal for Polavaram dam The Times of India 25 October 2005 Archived from the original on 3 November 2012 Retrieved 4 November 2010 AP farmers get compensation business picks up in Bhadrachalam Retrieved 16 June 2017 Polavaram project gets clearance The Hindu 26 October 2005 Archived from the original on 28 October 2005 Retrieved 4 November 2010 TRS stalls Assembly over Polavaram The Times of India 17 February 2006 Archived from the original on 3 November 2012 Retrieved 4 November 2010 CPI M plans Chalo Assembly on Polavaram The Hindu 9 February 2006 Archived from the original on 7 February 2008 Retrieved 4 November 2010 G V Ramana Rao 8 April 2006 Work on Polavaram project in full swing The Hindu Archived from the original on 28 February 2008 Retrieved 4 November 2010 G Nagaraja 18 May 2006 Polavaram project works come to a grinding halt again The Hindu Archived from the original on 6 October 2008 Retrieved 4 November 2010 Orissa for joint survey on Polavaram project The Hindu 15 November 2006 Archived from the original on 27 November 2007 Retrieved 4 November 2010 Polavaram no submergence in other States The Hindu 28 March 2007 Archived from the original on 8 November 2012 Retrieved 4 November 2010 Polavaram dam Andhra vs Orissa NDTV 4 November 2010 Retrieved 4 November 2010 a b Ministry of Law and Justice 1 March 2014 The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014 6 of 2014 PDF Retrieved 12 July 2016 The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Amendment Act 2014 PDF 17 July 2014 Retrieved 1 August 2014 Odisha seeks to halt Polavaram The Times of India Retrieved 23 August 2018 Detailed report on Polavaram Project GoAP Retrieved 17 June 2014 c r Amarnath Thatikonda Shashidhar 2020 Study on Backwater Effect Due to Polavaram Dam Project under Different Return Periods Water 12 2 576 doi 10 3390 w12020576 Polavaram had scant impact on Bhadrachalam floods Study 22 July 2022 Retrieved 25 July 2022 State wise flood damage statistics in India PDF Retrieved 4 January 2013 24 MW Sukuma Hydro Project near Konta Retrieved 29 April 2013 Middle Kolab 25 MW and Lower Kolab 12 MW hydropower stations Retrieved 4 January 2015 Middle Kolab Hydro Electric Project 285 MW PDF Retrieved 4 December 2017 As Odisha challenges national status for Polavaram SC issues notice to Andhra TS The News Minute 24 July 2018 Retrieved 23 August 2018 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Polavaram Project amp oldid 1171707419, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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