SRIKAKULAM: All hurdles for the construction of the Neradi barrage across River Vamsadhara have been cleared, with the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti issuing a gazette notification on the Vamsadhara River Water Disputes Tribunal (VWDT) verdict.
The move marks a major breakthrough in a long-pending inter-state dispute between Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
The VWDT had delivered its final verdict in June 2021, permitting Andhra Pradesh to construct the Neradi barrage.
The tribunal also directed the State to build the structure with a right sluice and pay compensation for 106 acres of land belonging to Odisha, in line with the Land Acquisition Act.
However, the Odisha government has delayed land acquisition on various grounds.
With the latest gazette notification, the Centre has formally cleared the way for the project.
The Vamsadhara River originates in Odisha’s Kalahandi district, flowing 154 km within that State, 29 km along the common boundary, and another 82 km in Andhra Pradesh before merging into the Bay of Bengal.
The proposal to construct a barrage at Neradi village in Bhamini mandal dates back to 1961, when then chief minister Damodaram Sanjeevaiah laid the foundation stone. The project aimed to irrigate over 2.5 lakh acres and create a reservoir with a capacity of 18 TMC at Hiramandalam.
Objections from Odisha stalled the project, prompting Andhra Pradesh to approach the Supreme Court. The court later constituted the VWDT under Justice Mukundakam Sharma to resolve the issue. After extensive field inspections and hearings, the tribunal allocated 57.5 TMC of water each to Odisha and Andhra Pradesh and permitted construction of the barrage.
In the meantime, Andhra Pradesh developed alternative infrastructure.
The Gotta barrage, built in 1970 downstream of Neradi, irrigates 1.48 lakh acres through the left main canal.
Later, under former chief minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy, the Vamsadhara Phase-II Stage-II works were launched in 2008, including an 18 TMC reservoir at Hiramandalam, a side weir at Katragada, and a 32-km flood canal. These works were completed by 2018.
However, the Hiramandalam reservoir receives only 2-4 TMC of floodwater annually. To address this, the previous government proposed a lift irrigation project at Gotta barrage to divert 15 TMC of floodwater, but the works are still under progress.
Experts say the Neradi barrage remains the only long-term solution to harness at least 16 TMC of floodwater out of the 115 TMC that flows into the sea every year. Speaking to TNIE, Ram Mohan Naidu termed the development a ‘historic turning point’ for Srikakulam district. He said all legal and administrative barriers to the Neradi barrage had been removed and described the project as crucial for transforming North Andhra and thanked PM and CM.