HYDERABAD: The Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) has said that concerns relating to possible submergence and backwater impacts on upstream habitations in Telangana due to the Polavaram Project are being accorded top priority and receiving due administrative attention.
This came in response to a representation submitted by former irrigation minister T Harish Rao regarding the need to protect affected habitations from the project being constructed by the Andhra Pradesh government.
In its communication, the PPA acknowledged the concerns raised on behalf of Telangana residents and stated that issues relating to backwater impacts were being accorded top priority and receiving due administrative attention.
Referring to the inter-state meeting held on April 8, 2025, the PPA informed Harish that the meeting had concluded with an assurance that all areas in Telangana likely to be affected up to the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of the Polavaram Project would either be fully protected through engineering safeguards or acquired.
The PPA said scientific assessments, flood mitigation strategies and protective measures would be implemented to prevent any adverse impact on the lives, livelihoods and agricultural lands of people living in Telangana’s Godavari basin region.
Reacting to the communication, Harish said the response from the PPA validated the long-standing concerns raised by Telangana regarding the safety of upstream villages and the potential backwater impacts of the project.
He expressed hope that the assurances placed on record by the PPA would be implemented in both letter and spirit. He urged the PPA, the Central government and the Andhra Pradesh government to ensure the timely execution of all assured flood mitigation, protection, rehabilitation and resettlement measures so that no village, farmer, agricultural land, livelihood or family in Telangana suffers due to the execution of the Polavaram Project.