Andhra Pradesh speeds up Polavaram-Banakacherla project as Telangana stays silent

Andhra Pradesh has accelerated the Polavaram-Banakacherla project to divert Godavari waters to Rayalaseema by 2027. While Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu claims the project is legal, Telangana has gone silent on its earlier objections, and Karnataka has entered the dispute.

Hyderabad: With the Congress government in Telangana turning almost silent in its response to the Polavaram-Banakacherla link, Andhra Pradesh has fast-tracked groundwork on the project.

AP is eyeing the initial diversion of Godavari waters to Rayalaseema by 2027, coinciding with the Godavari Pushkarams. As of October 5, the Detailed Project Report (DPR) awaits Central Water Commission scrutiny, with AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directing officials to accelerate Polavaram’s core works, the diaphragm wall at 58 percent completion, and the earth dam slated for December 2027.

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Naidu stated recently that the PBLP was “within legal limits” as per the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (GWDT) award and benefits both AP and Telangana by utilising surplus waters of 3,700 TMC wasted into the sea this year. AP officials have been tasked with the job of fast-tracking the clearance for the project and are engaged with the Ministry of Jal Shakti to fulfil Naidu’s dream of diverting 200 TMC of Godavari water from the Polavaram reservoir to a new reservoir at Banakacherla in Kurnool district. Naidu also announced that the Centre had approved the initiative and urged Telangana to join hands for mutual benefit.

“This isn’t about one State winning, it is about harnessing nature’s gift before it slips away,” Naidu said, while calling the PBLP the first phase of a Godavari-Krishna-Penna interlinking vision. Environmentalists and civil society groups, including voices from within Andhra, have raised concerns over the Nallamala tunnel’s potential to damage biodiversity hotspots and displace Adivasi communities.

Telangana Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy had vowed to “fight tooth and nail” against the project, accusing Andhra of flouting GWDT clauses that require downstream consent for diversions.

The State argued the PBLP would siphon off 200 TMC from its rightful share. Telangana also countered it with a cost-effective alternative, the Rs.10,000 crore Inchampalli-Godavari link, described as a “fair alternative utilising surplus waters without affecting Rayalaseema’s needs or Nallamala’s fragile ecosystem”. But since that August 26 proposal, Telangana’s official channels have gone silent on the PBLP. The high-level central committee formed in mid-July to mediate inter-state water issues has yet to release its findings.

On September 24, Karnataka demanded 64.75 TMC from the Krishna basin if the Centre had given its approval to the PBLP, citing 1978 pacts and GWDT Clause V(C) to claim compensatory flows.

“Andhra cannot monopolise 423 TMC of Godavari diversions without ripple effects,” Karnataka officials wrote to Union Minister CR Patil. Despite Telangana’s earlier proposal to approach the Supreme Court if necessary, the State now appears unsure, or perhaps has chosen to remain silent, about Chandrababu Naidu’s recent efforts in New Delhi to push the project by all means.