HYDERABAD: The Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) has not carried out a fresh survey on the impact of the backwaters as demanded by the Telangana government. The PPA carried out only a preliminary survey. The PPA officials recently told the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that they had carried out the environmental impact assessment survey and submitted the report to the Telangana government.
However, the sources in the Telangana Irrigation Department said that the PPA submitted only the initial survey report and did not carry out any fresh impact assessment as demanded by the Telangana government. According to officials of the Irrigation Department, the PPA carried out a survey assuming that the flood discharge at Polavaram would be around 35 lakh cusecs. The survey was carried out as per the Indian Standard (IS) Code. In the IS Code, the survey could be based either on the standard probable flood (SPF) or on the probable maximum flood (PMF). The PPA carried out the SPF survey, the official sources said.
They added that TS wanted the PPA to carry out the survey on the impact of backwaters considering the PMF. The Odisha government too demanded the same assuming that the maximum flood discharge would be around 55 lakh cusecs. The TS government filed a case in the Supreme Court demanding a survey based on the PMF. At the PMF, the floodwater discharge at Polavaram would be over 50 lakh cusecs, the irrigation officials explained.
They pointed out that even if the flood discharge is 35 lakh cusecs, the backwaters at Bhadrachalam would be huge on all 365 days of the year. The first warning at Bhadrachalam barrage would be issued when the water level touches 43 feet. Once the Polavaram is completed, the water level at Bhadrachalam would be more than 43 feet round the year. So the first warning would be in force at Bhadrachalam throughout the year, they said.
Once the flood discharge is 50 lakh cusecs, it will pose grave danger to Bhadrachalam temple and Singareni Collieries, sources said. There is every possibility of submergence of around 200 villages. The issue was raised by BJP leader Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy before NGT recently.
At that time, the NGT asked the PPA authorities to carry out a survey. The PPA officials said that the survey was completed and a copy of the report submitted to both the AP and TS governments. But the fact is that the survey was based on SPF and not on PMF, as demanded by the TS government. The TS officials would convey the same to the NGT and also to the Supreme Court during the next hearings, sources said.