VIJAYAWADA: Achieving a major milestone in multi-purpose river valley development, the Polavaram Irrigation Project has recorded 90.1% physical progress in its overall execution, while the fiscal progress of Phase I reached 78% as of September 2026.
According to an official review presentation prepared for the high-level meeting chaired by the Secretary of the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation under the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti on October 12, major headworks and critical conveyances have entered their final stages.
The spillway, main dam in Gap III, diaphragm walls in Gaps I and II, upstream and downstream cofferdams, upstream cofferdam buttress, and the Right Main Canal have been fully completed. Civil works have recorded 88 per cent financial progress, while land acquisition stands at 95.6%. However, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) progress currently stands at 51.9%, remaining a key focus area for timely project completion.
The financial outlay highlights sustained backing from the Union Government following the approval of the revised Phase I cost of Rs 30,436.95 crore by the Union Cabinet on August 28, 2024.
The Centre has released Rs 23,485.31 crore towards project execution since April 1, 2014, including an advance grant of Rs 7,862.93 crore sanctioned for 2024–25 and 2025–26 to fast-track construction activities.
Under the time-bound action plan drawn up for 2026–27, all primary project connectivities are scheduled for completion by December 2026. Embankment works for the Earth-cum-Rock-Fill (ECRF) dam in Gap I are targeted for completion by March 2027, while Gap II embankment works, along with miscellaneous infrastructure including the SCADA control building, electrical substations, access roads, and slope protection works, are set for completion by June 2027.
On the social infrastructure front, pending cash entitlements for project-affected families will be cleared by December 2026, with all R&R colonies slated for operational handover by March 2027. Declared a National Project under Section 90 of AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, Polavaram is engineered to create fresh irrigation potential of 7.2 lakh acres while stabilising an additional 23.5 lakh acres.
With a gross reservoir storage capacity of 194.6 TMC, the project will supply drinking water to 540 villages, benefiting nearly 28.5 lakh people. Furthermore, the project facilitates the diversion of 80 TMC of Godavari water to the Krishna basin, provides 23.44 TMC for drinking and industrial needs in the Vizag urban industrial belt, and houses a 960 MW hydroelectric power plant.
Technical oversight and quality assurance continue under the joint supervision of the Central Water Commission (CWC), the Central Soil and Materials Research Station (CSMRS), a four-member Panel of Experts, and project consultant WAPCOS.
The CSMRS has conducted 46 quality audit visits, while the Panel of Experts has submitted seven field visit reports and 34 technical memorandums since its engagement in June 2024. Meanwhile, inter-state coordination regarding pending public hearings and statutory clearances in Odisha and Chhattisgarh remains under active administrative review to ensure smooth reservoir impoundment.