Malkangiri villagers urge government to conduct survey on Polavaram impact

The villagers sought holding special gram sabhas in areas most likely to be affected by the project.
Residents of a village set to be affected by Polavaram project
Residents of a village set to be affected by Polavaram project Photo| Express
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MALKANGIRI: Concerned over submergence of their villages and agriculture land after the contentious Polavaram project is implemented, residents of Muraliguda, Motu, Binayakpur, Alma, Peta and Baribecha have urged Odisha government to issue a directive to its Revenue department for conducting a survey on the impact of the project’s backwater in the area.

The villagers sought holding special gram sabhas in areas most likely to be affected by the project. The Andhra Pradesh government had recently suggested the Central Water Commission (CWC) to construct the Polavaram dam at a height of 45.72 metre by impounding huge quantity of water. On the other hand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh have been raising the issue of submergence of low-lying areas in the states. The Andhra Pradesh government wants its Odisha counterpart to avail the options proposed by it. The first option is that Andhra Pradesh will construct flood banks to avoid submergence of vulnerable areas in Odisha. As for the second option, the neighbouring state has expressed its intent to compensate the affected villagers.

Talking to The New Indian Express, the villagers said neither has the Odisha government yet conducted any survey on the impact of the project’s backwater nor any public hearings have been conducted in the villages in Motu tehsil which are most prone to be affected.

As per Andhra Pradesh Irrigation department sources, no village will be affected if protective embankments are constructed by its government. However, if the protective embankments are not constructed, eight villages and 1,002 families in Odisha will be affected by the project.

However, disputing the figures, the villagers said at least nine panchayats, 7,000 hectare of cropland in Motu tehsil will be affected by the project.

The locals said the project design was made for discharge of 36 lakh cusec of floodwater which was later increased to 50 lakh cusec and now arrangements are being made to further increase it. Mahesh Panda of Muraliguda village in Motu panchayat said his village will be erased from the face of the earth once the project becomes functional.

“The backwater of Godavari river through its tributary Saveri had recently entered into the village due to heavy rains. Imagine what would be the scenario in low-lying villages like ours when the project backwater enters human habitations,” he said.

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