CWC orders joint study of Polavaram backwaters
HYDERABAD: The Central Water Commission (CWC) on Wednesday approved the joint study on the Polavaram backwaters in Telangana. The Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) will conduct the survey. Telangana has been demanding the study as it feared that a large number of areas in Telangana would submerge under the Polavaram project which is being constructed by the Andhra Pradesh government.
At a meeting in New Delhi, CWC chairman Kushvinder Vohra gave his approval for the joint survey. Irrigation officials including AP engineer-in-chief Narayana Reddy and Polavaram project chief engineer Sudhakar, Telangana engineer-in-chief Nagendra Rao and CM’s Officer on Special Duty (Irrigation) Sridhar Rao Deshpande and Kothagudem chief engineer Srinivas Reddy (Telangana) and Odisha engineer-in-chief Asutosh Mishra attended the meeting.
A Telangana official said the State had been pushing for a backwater study under the full reservoir level (FRL) of the Polavaram project. As CWC officials wanted proof of the claims that areas in Telangana would submerge due to the project, State authorities provided the required documents and insisted on a study.
Telangana officials said 899 acres in six villages in Bhadrachalam and Burgampahad mandals would submerge and showing maps by the Survey of India maps to justify their claims. Responding to this, the CWC chairman directed the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) to conduct a joint survey immediately, the Telangana officials said. The CWC chairman also directed the Andhra Pradesh government to cooperate with the backwater study.
State officials also clarified that Telangana was not against the construction of Polavaram project, but had apprehensions over the submergence of areas.Officials recalled that as per the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the joint survey was already conducted on two streams — Murredu and Kinnerasani — where it was found that backwaters from the Polavaram project would impact areas in Telangana. The CWC chairman directed officials concerned to demarcate those areas.
Additionally, a fresh study would be conducted on six more streams. All these surveys should be conducted under the supervision of PPA. The fresh survey should also cover Manuguru heavy water plant and Bhadrachalam temple areas, the CWC chairman directed the AP.Odisha too wanted a survey in the wake of huge floods on July 22, 2022. However, Chhattisgarh officials did not attend the meeting.