HYDERABAD: Both the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) and the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) have raised objections to the Andhra Pradesh government’s proposal to divert water from the Polavaram project to Banakacherla.
The GRMB, citing the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, stated that there was no formal apportionment of the Godavari river water between the successor states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It noted that neither a tribunal award nor a mutual agreement exists to allocate the water between the two states. “The CWC may take note of this,” the GRMB said in its letter to the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
The GRMB suggested that either a new tribunal be established for the Godavari river or a mutual agreement be reached between the successor states for sharing water.
The GRMB further pointed out that, as per the 2014 Act, regulation of river water to the successor states should consider tribunal awards under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956. It said that while the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (GWDT) Award of 1980 incorporated inter-state agreements, it did not apportion water among the basin states. Consequently, there is no quantified share assigned to Andhra Pradesh or Telangana.
On the proposed diversion of 2 tmcft of water per day from the Polavaram dam, the GRMB said that such a move could alter the existing operation schedule of the project. Any changes, it stated, must be made in consultation with the states of the erstwhile Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
On the transfer of Godavari waters to the Krishna basin, the GRMB cited Clause 7(f) of Annexure-I of Annexure-C of the GWDT Award.
This clause requires that any diversion exceeding 80 tmcft at 75 per cent dependability must be shared among the states of the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra in the same ratio as the initial 80 tmcft. The board also referred to Clause XIV(B) of the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal Final Order, which addresses augmentation of the Krishna river using water from other rivers.
The GRMB said the Central Water Commission (CWC) should consider the provisions of both the GWDT and KWDT awards while evaluating the proposal. It also sought clarification from the Andhra Pradesh government on whether the diversion would use surplus or flood waters of the Godavari.
Diversion not part of DPR: Polavaram Project Authority
The Polavaram Project Authority, in a separate communication, noted that the current proposal to divert an additional 200 tmcft of water is not part of the approved Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Polavaram project. The authority said the diversion plan is only included in the pre-feasibility report submitted by the Andhra Pradesh government.
The PPA said the proposal must be studied thoroughly by central government agencies, taking into account water availability, inter-state issues, and tribunal awards. It stressed that such an assessment is necessary to ensure that the original benefits of the Polavaram project are not compromised.
According to the PPA, the proposal involves the construction of a new canal with a carrying capacity of 18,000 cusecs from the Polavaram Irrigation Project (PIP).
It also includes merging part of the existing Tadipudi canal with the new canal and partial use of the Right Main Canal (RMC), as the new canal’s capacity is lower than the required 23,000 cusecs. The authority recommended that the Andhra Pradesh government submit a revised DPR incorporating these changes to secure approval from the competent authority.
The PPA also said that the interstate agreement dated April 2, 1980, and Annexure-G of the 1980 GWDT Award, which outline the monsoon operation schedule of the Polavaram Project, must be reviewed in the context of the proposed additional diversion.