CWC seeks flood data from Andhra Pradesh as Polavaram-Banakacherla project faces EAC roadblock
The Central Water Commission has asked Andhra Pradesh for extensive flood data on the Polavaram–Banakacherla Link Project after the Environment Ministry rejected its clearance. Telangana opposes the project, citing legal violations and lack of surplus water, while AP insists it will only use floodwaters.
Hyderabad: The Central Water Commission (CWC) has sought comprehensive details from the Andhra Pradesh government regarding the Polavaram-Banakacherla Link Project (PBLP), including three decades of Godavari floodwater data. This request follows the June 30 rejection of the project’s environmental clearance by the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, which cited unresolved legal, environmental, and interstate concerns.
In response, the Andhra Pradesh government has formed a dedicated team to compile historical flood data and address the objections raised by the EAC. The team is also examining the scope to address violations of the 1980 Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (GWDT) Award coming in the way of its clearances. The award violations are the key issues flagged in the EAC’s decision.
The project has drawn strong opposition from Telangana, which contends that the PBLP violates both the GWDT Award and the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. Telangana government has hinted at moving the Supreme Court and has proposed an alternative Ichampalli-Nagarjuna Sagar link to divert Godavari waters.
Telangana also points to the CWC’s 2018 report, which concluded that there is no surplus water at Polavaram at 75% dependability- contradicting Andhra Pradesh’s claim that 3,000 TMC of floodwater flows unused into the sea each year. Despite its stated intent to challenge the project legally in the Supreme Court, the Telangana government has not yet taken formal steps toward filing a case.
Instead, it has adopted a wait-and-watch approach, anticipating the upcoming Apex Council meeting involving both Telugu state chief ministers, as promised by Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil. Speaking in Kuppam on July 3, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu reiterated that the PBLP would not harm Telangana’s interests, emphasizing that the project uses only surplus floodwaters.
He has made the project a top priority in his recent meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Jal Shakti Minister Patil, and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, seeking both financial and administrative support. Announced in 2024, the PBLP aims to divert 200 TMC of Godavari floodwater from Polavaram Dam to the Banakacherla Regulator via a 376-kilometre canal system. The project is designed to irrigate 7.41 lakh acres, stabilize 22.58 lakh acres.
The project will also provide drinking water to 80 lakh people, and allocate 20 TMC for industrial use in Rayalaseema and south coastal Andhra. It includes two 200 MW hydropower stations and requires 24,064 hectares of land, including 1,717 hectares of forest.
However, unresolved submergence issues in Odisha and Chhattisgarh remain sub judice, and the EAC has directed Andhra Pradesh to resolve all interstate disputes before submitting the proposal once again.
