VIJAYAWADA: As much as 41.78 per cent of the Polavaram project has been completed by the end of August, including 74.75 per cent of headworks, 92.57 per cent of Right Main Canal and 71.12 per cent of Left Main canal and 20.19 per cent of Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement.
As per the status report of various irrigation projects, including Polavaram project, submitted by Water Resources Minister P Anil Kumar Yadav in the State Assembly in the recently-concluded session, under headworks, 99.97 per cent of spillway concreting works (piers, divide walls, training walls) has been completed. The fixing of embedded parts and sill beams for radial gates of the spillway are in progress and about 95.81 per cent of work has been completed so far.
The upper cofferdam measures 2,356 meters and the lower cofferdam 1,613 meters. Jet grouting work in the river bed along the alignment of both cofferdams has been completed and about 74.25 per cent of earthwork (embankment work) of both the cofferdams is under progress.
The length of Earth-cum-Rock Fill Dam (ECRF) (Gap II) measures 1,750 meters and the works pertaining to cut-off wall of length 1,396 meters in the form of plastic concrete diaphragm wall in the river bed for a depth varying 40 meter to 100meters along the length of the ECRF dam were completed during June 2018.
On the other hand, 61.72 per cent of vibro compaction (sand densification) work in the river bed on both sides adjacent to the completed diaphragm wall along the axis of the ECRF Dam has been done so far. In all, 61.94 per cent of Left side and Right side connectivity works were completed. Works of both Right Main Canal and the Left Main Canal including distributary system is expected to be completed by April 2022.
R&R works
With regard to land acquisition and R&R package, there seems to be not much progress as only 20.19 per cent has been completed. By the end of August, 1,12,555.99 acres have been acquired and another 54,226.51 acres need to be acquired. A total 373 habitations will submerge under the Polavaram project and so far, rehabilitation of only 25 habitation has been completed and the balance 348 have to be rehabilitated in a phased manner.
As on November 16, the total expenditure incurred on the Polavaram project is Rs 18,340.64 crore of which Rs 4,730.71 crore was incurred before Polavaram was declared a national project and after it become national project (from April 1, 2014 to November 16, 2021), a total Rs 13,609.93 crore expenditure was incurred. Total funds released to the State government through Polavaram Project Authority are Rs 11,492.16 crore and Rs 2,117.77 crore has to be reimbursed. Stage 1 works of Veligonda project are expected to be completed by August 2022 allowing impounding of water in Nallamala reservoir and create an ayacut of 1.19 lakh acres in Prakasam district.
