Polavaram: Hold for a joint survey
Neighboring states demanded a center on Polavaram
A scientific study has already been done on flooding: Center
Structure to go down no matter how much flood: Andhra Pradesh
Heavy loss if conservation measures are not taken: Telangana
Chhattisgarh, Odisha who expressed their views
Online meeting of Central Hydropower Department with 4 states
Conduct of Technical Conference on 7
-Galla S Kiran Kumar, Bureau Chief (Telangana &Andhra Pradesh)
Hyderabad, Amaravati: The states of Telangana, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha have opined that a comprehensive study is needed on the inundation of water behind the Polavaram project being constructed on the Godavari river in Andhra Pradesh. They asked the Center to conduct a joint survey with the affected states. However, according to the tribunal award, the construction of the project is being carried out considering the flood. The Center has clarified that a scientific study has already been done on the flood and the construction of the project will be taken up only after that. It said that a technical meeting will be held on the seventh of next month as it involves more technical aspects. As per the orders of the Supreme Court, an online meeting was held with the four partner states on Thursday under the leadership of Pankaj Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Water Power, and Rameshwar Gupta, Secretary, Forest, and Environment. Telangana Irrigation Special Chief Secretary Rajat Kumar, Engineer-in-Chief Muralidhar, O&M ENC Nagender Rao, OSD Sridhar Deshpande, CE Srinivas Reddy, EE Subrahmanya Prasad, AP Water Resources Principal Secretary Shyama Rao, ENC Narayana Reddy, CE Sudhakar Reddy along with State Water Resources Department of Chhattisgarh, Odisha Officials participated. The case will come up for further hearing in the Supreme Court on December 7. Accordingly, the Center took action to hold meetings with the states and submit a report. Telangana officials mentioned in the meeting that according to the Hyderabad IIT report, there will be a backwater problem in Polavaram. Officials of the Jal Sangam stated that the IIT report is not standard, but the report studied by the Central Jal Sangam is standard. Khushwinder Vohra, a member of the Central Water Commission, and Chandrasekhar Iyer, CEO of the Polavaram Project Authority said that the study has shown that there will be no flooding problem due to the project. Officials of the Central Water Society and Andhra Pradesh Water Resources Department have stated that Polavaram is being constructed so that even if there is a huge flood, it will go under. It has been clarified that there is no need to undertake the study once again.
The objections raised by Telangana are incorrect: the Center
has suggested sending Engineer-in-Chiefs from the states to the meeting to be held in Delhi on the 7th of next month. It said that scientific studies were done in 2009 and 2011 regarding the construction of the Polavaram project and Telangana, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha states have many misconceptions. It said that the objections raised by Telangana are incorrect. It said that Andhra Pradesh is ready to build the embankment. Odisha made it clear that it was not possible in the past because it did not come forward for the plebiscite. It said that after the technical meeting, public opinion polls will be held in Odisha in full and in Chhattisgarh installed areas.
A Study in Adaptation to Changed Conditions: Telangana
Telangana said that there is a need to clear the doubts about the spillway design of the project. As soon as the flood of 24 lakh cusecs came, many villages were inundated along with the crop fields. What will happen if there is a flood of 36 lakh cusecs? We have already written a letter to the Center with detailed details. A comprehensive study on the effect of backwaters should be undertaken considering a flood of 50 lakh cusecs. After the completion of the project, Bhadrachalam Temple Town, Bhadra Jala Karmagara, Bhadradri Power Generation Station, tribal villages, and many other areas will be inundated due to the floods that occur during the storage of water. Cross sections (protection works) have to be constructed in many areas where backwaters are severe. 18 rivulets join the river from the right and left. When the water level in the Godavari is high, these are poured and the flood is increasing. Parameters related to project construction,
It should be taken up after a public opinion poll: Odisha
has suggested that the construction of the Polavaram project should be taken up only after a public opinion poll in their state. It is said that it is not common for 30 kilometers of protection works to be carried out in the flooded area behind a project like nowhere else in the country. It is not acceptable for the Center to announce that the public opinion poll will be held within three months after the technical meeting, and it has been suggested to take some more time. Chhattisgarh has asked for a study on the flooded areas in their state and to hold a full-scale referendum.
No problem: AP
The officials of AP stated that there will be no problem with flooding and backwater in the areas belonging to other states with the construction of the Polavaram project. According to the tribunal award, there are permissions to construct the project with a flow capacity of 36 lakh cusecs. Once in 500 years, there will be a flood of 50 lakh cusecs, and with that capacity, we have designed the project so that even if there is a flood, the flows will go down without hindrance. We are ready to build embankments in the areas of Chhattisgarh and Odisha to solve the backwater problem,’ he explained. It is said that public opinion should be collected and the response of the concerned states is lacking. Hundreds of letters have been written on this. It is not correct that the flood happened because of the Polavaram project. The level of water standing before the construction of the project will stand at the same level after the construction. The same flood has the same water level. There will be no change, it is not correct that Polavaram will cause a flood. Due to the Indrawati and Sabari floods, the flood intensity increased last year. That’s why the impact is high this year too, AP officials said.
* The Department of Irrigation has selected a team from Telangana to participate in the meeting to be organized by the Union Water Power Ministry in Delhi on the Polavaram flood. Department Engineer-in-Chief Muralidhar will act as the chairman of the committee while O&M ENC Nagender Rao, CMO OSD Sridhar Deshpande, Kothagudem CE Srinivas Reddy, and Interstate Water Resources Department EE Subramanya Prasad will be members.
