Vijayawada, June 02, 2023: Hyderabad The construction of the much-anticipated major irrigation project of Polavaram on Godavari river is going to be delayed further. While the Centre insisted that the first phase of the project be completed by June, 2024, the Andhra Pradesh government sought time till June 2025.
The issue came up for discussion during a high-level meeting, chaired by Union minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in New Delhi on Thursday, to review the progress of Polavaram project.
“Going by the prevailing conditions, we told the Union minister that the Polavaram project could be completed only by June 2025. But he wanted the project works to be expedited, so that it would meet the June 2024 deadline,” Andhra Pradesh Engineer-in-Chief (Water Resources) C Narayana Reddy told reporters after the meeting according to the reports published in hindustantimes.com.
The state officials told the Centre that they would study the issue and advance the timeline accordingly.
During the phase-1 of the project, the Godavari water would be impounded up to the contour level of 41.15 metres, as against the full reservoir level of 45.72 metres. “The project will be executed for a scheduled height of 45.72 metres, but in the phase-1, water will be impounded only up to 41.15 metres for the implementation of rehabilitation and resettlement of the project evacuees,” Reddy said.
He said the state government had requested the Union Jal Sakthi ministry to release ₹17,144 crore as ad hoc amount for the first phase of Polavaram project so that works can be executed expeditiously. “The Union minister directed that the ministry process the proposal and send it to the approval of the finance ministry,” he said.
A senior official of the irrigation department said the main reason for the delay in the project works was the delay in the restoration of the diaphragm wall, which suffered severe damages during heavy floods to Godavari river in 2020. “The design for the diaphragm wall is still pending for clearance from the Central Water Commission (CWC). When we brought it to the notice of Shekhawat, he asked the CWC authorities to clear the design, so that work could be taken up,” he said.
Union Jal Shakti ministry secretary Pankaj Kumar, PPA CEO Shiv Nandan Kumar and other senior officials were present.
