Thursday 28 May 2020

గోదారి ఎగిరింది.. తెలంగాణ మురిసింది

గోదారి ఎగిరింది.. తెలంగాణ మురిసింది
175 అంతస్తుల ఎత్తుకు భగీరథ యత్నం
నాలుగేళ్లలో సాకారం

ఐదంతస్తుల అపార్టుమెంటు! దానిపై ఒకదానిపై మరొకటిగా 35 అపార్టుమెంట్లను పేరిస్తే.. అమ్మో..! ఆకాశాన్ని తాకుతుందని ఆశ్చర్యపోతాం కదా! ఇప్పుడు మేడిగడ్డ నుంచి గోదారమ్మను కూడా అంత ఎత్తుకు తీసుకొచ్చారు! సముద్ర మట్టం నుంచి మేడిగడ్డ 100 మీటర్ల ఎత్తులో ఉంది. సముద్ర మట్టం నుంచి కొండపోచమ్మ సాగర్‌ 624 మీటర్ల ఎత్తులో ఉంది! అంటే, మేడిగడ్డ నుంచి కొండపోచమ్మ సాగర్‌ 524 మీటర్ల ఎత్తులో ఉన్నట్లు!! ఇది అర కిలోమీటరు కంటే ఎక్కువన్నమాట! మరో మాటలో చెప్పుకోవాలంటే.. దాదాపు 175 అంతస్తుల భవనం ఎంత ఎత్తు ఉంటుంది! అంత ఎత్తుకు మేడిగడ్డ నుంచి సుమారు 250 కిలోమీటర్ల దూరంలోని కొండ పోచమ్మ సాగర్‌కు నీటిని తీసుకొచ్చారన్నమాట! ఒక టీఎంసీ అంటే 2,832 కోట్ల లీటర్లు. పది వేల లీటర్ల సామర్థ్యం కలిగిన ట్యాంకర్లలో ఆ నీటిని నింపాలంటే, అక్షరాలా 26,32,000 ట్యాంకర్లు అవసరం. అటువంటిది 15 టీఎంసీలను అంత ఎత్తుకు ఎత్తిపోయడం అంటే మాటలా!! ఇటువంటి ప్రయత్నం ప్రపంచంలోనే ఇదే తొలిసారి! ఇది కాళేశ్వరం ప్రాజెక్టు ఘనత! నాలుగేళ్లలోనే పూర్తి చేయడం మరో ఘనత. ఆకాశం నుంచి భూమి మీదకు నీటిని తీసుకు రావడం భగీరథ యత్నం! కానీ, భువి నుంచి దివికి నీటిని ఎత్తిపోయడమే చంద్రశేఖర యత్నం! ముఖ్యమంత్రి కేసీఆర్‌ సాధించిన కొండంత విజయం!


ఏటా 80 లక్షల ఎకరాలు సస్యశ్యామలం

కాళేశ్వరం ప్రాజెక్టు కారణంగా.. తెలంగాణలో 199 కిలోమీటర్ల మేర గోదావరి సజీవంగా ఉండనుంది. కొత్తగా కరీంనగర్‌, సిరిసిల్ల, సిద్దిపేట, మెదక్‌, యాదాద్రి, నల్లగొండ, సంగారెడ్డి, నిజామాబాద్‌, జగిత్యాల, కామారెడ్డి, నిర్మల్‌, మేడ్చల్‌, పెద్దపల్లి జిల్లాల్లోని దాదాపు 20 లక్షల ఎకరాలకు నీరందుతుంది. ఇక, ఎస్సారెస్పీ పునరుజ్జీవ పథకం ద్వారా కరీంనగర్‌, సిరిసిల్ల, సిద్దిపేట, మెదక్‌, యాదాద్రి, నల్లగొండ, సంగారెడ్డి, నిజామాబాద్‌, జగిత్యాల, కామారెడ్డి, నిర్మల్‌, మేడ్చల్‌, పెద్దపల్లి, వరంగల్‌ అర్బన్‌, వరంగల్‌ రూరల్‌, భూపాలపల్లి, మహబూబాబాద్‌, ఖమ్మం, జనగామ, సూర్యాపేట జిల్లాల్లో మరో 20 లక్షల ఎకరాలు స్థిరీకరణ కానుంది. వెరసి, తెలంగాణలోని 40 లక్షల ఎకరాలకు ఏటా రెండు పంటలకు నీరందుతుంది. అంటే, ఏటా 80 లక్షల ఎకరాల్లో పంటలు పండుతాయి. అందుకే, ఇది తెలంగాణకు వరప్రదాయిని.


మేడిగడ్డ నుంచి కొండపోచమ్మ సాగర్‌ వరకూ ప్రధానంగా పది ప్రాంతాల్లో నీటిని ఎత్తిపోస్తున్నారు. వీటిలో ప్రధానమైనవి ఏడు!


1  మేడిగడ్డ దగ్గర బరాజ్‌ నిర్మించి, గోదావరికి అడ్డుకట్ట వేశారు. ఆ నీటిని కన్నెపల్లి పంప్‌హౌజ్‌ ద్వారా ఆరు అంతస్తులు అంటే 21 మీటర్ల ఎత్తులోని అన్నారం బరాజ్‌లో పోశారు.

2  అన్నారం బరాజ్‌లో నిల్వ చేసిన నీటిని.. అక్కడి పంప్‌ హౌజ్‌ ద్వారా ఎత్తిపోసి 11 మీటర్ల ఎత్తులోని సుందిళ్ల బరాజ్‌కు తరలించారు.

3  సుందిళ్ల నుంచి నంది మేడారం 101 మీటర్ల ఎత్తులో ఉంటుంది. అంటే, దాదాపు 33 అంతస్తుల ఎత్తన్నమాట! అందుకే, తొలుత 16 మీటర్ల ఎత్తులోని ఎల్లంపల్లికి, అక్కడి నుంచి నంది మేడారానికి తీసుకొచ్చారు. ఈ నీటిని రామడుగులోని మహా బావిలో నిల్వ చేశారు.

4  రామడుగు నుంచి మిడ్‌మానేరు 87 మీటర్ల ఎత్తులో ఉంటుంది. అందుకే, ఇక్కడ 139 మెగావాట్ల సామర్థ్యం కలిగిన ఏడు మోటార్లను ఏర్పాటు చేశారు. అంటే, వాటి మొత్తం సామర్థ్యం 13 లక్షల హెచ్‌పీ పైమాటే! ఇన్ని మెగావాట్ల మోటారును ఏర్పాటు చేయడం దేశంలో ఇదే తొలిసారి! ప్రపంచంలోనూ ఒకటో రెండు చోట్ల మాత్రమే ఉన్నాయి! ఇంత బలంగా నీటిని ఎత్తిపోసి దాదాపు 29 అంతస్తుల ఎత్తులోని ఎస్సారెస్పీ వరద కాల్వలో పోశారు. అక్కడి నుంచి మిడ్‌మానేరుకు తరలించారు.

5  మిడ్‌మానేరు నుంచి అనంతసాగర్‌ 77 మీటర్ల ఎత్తులో ఉంటుంది. కేవలం గ్రావిటీ కెనాల్‌, టన్నెళ్ల ద్వారానే నీరు 25 అంతస్తుల అపార్ట్‌మెంట్‌ అంత ఎత్తున్న అనంతసాగర్‌కు చేరింది. ఇదెలా సాధ్యమని ఆశ్చర్యపోవచ్చు. భూగర్భంలో టన్నెళ్ల ద్వారా నీటిని పంప్‌ చేసి.. అనంతసాగర్‌ వద్ద ఎత్తిపోస్తున్నారు.

6  అనంతసాగర్‌ నుంచి రంగనాయక సాగర్‌ 83 మీటర్ల ఎత్తులో ఉంటుంది. అందుకే, ఇక్కడ 106 మెగావాట్ల సామర్థ్యం కలిగిన నాలుగు భారీ మోటార్లు ఏర్పాటు చేశారు. ఇంత సామర్థ్యం కలిగిన మోటార్లు కూడా దేశంలో మరోచోట లేవని చెబుతున్నారు. వాటి నుంచి ఎత్తిపోసిన నీరు రంగనాయక సాగర్‌ పంప్‌హౌజ్‌కు చేరింది.

7  రంగనాయక సాగర్‌ నుంచి కొండపోచమ్మ సాగర్‌ 144 మీటర్ల ఎత్తులో ఉంటుంది. ఐదంతస్తులు కలిగిన 8 అపార్టుమెంట్లను ఒకదానిపై మరొకటి పేరిస్తే ఎంత ఎత్తు ఉంటుందో అంత ఎత్తన్నమాట! వాస్తవంగా ఇక్కడి నుంచి తొలుత 77 మీటర్ల ఎత్తులోని మల్లన్న సాగర్‌కు తరలించాలి. కానీ, అది ఇంకా పూర్తి కాలేదు కనక.. డైవర్షన్‌ కాల్వల ద్వారా నీటిని గజ్వేల్‌ మండలం అక్కారం, మర్కుక్‌లోని పంప్‌హౌజ్‌లకు తరలించారు. 27 మెగావాట్ల సామర్థ్యం కలిగిన ఆరు మోటార్ల ద్వారా 52 మీటర్ల ఎత్తులోని శ్రీగిరిపల్లికి నీరు చేరింది. అక్కడి నుంచి మర్కుక్‌ సర్జ్‌పూల్‌కు చేరాయి. అక్కడి పంప్‌హౌజ్‌లో 34 మెగావాట్ల సామర్థ్యం కలిగిన ఆరు మోటార్లు ద్వారా కొండపోచమ్మ సాగర్‌కు నీరు చేరనుంది.

కేసీఆర్‌ ఫాంహౌస్‌కు 5 కి.మీ. దూరంలోనే..

ముఖ్యమంత్రి కేసీఆర్‌ ఫాంహౌస్‌ ఉన్న సిద్దిపేట జిల్లా మర్కుక్‌ మండలం ఎర్రవల్లి గ్రామానికి 5 కిలోమీటర్ల దూరంలోనే కొండపోచమ్మ సాగర్‌ రిజర్వాయర్‌ ఉంది. దీంతో, అనతి కాలంలోనే సకల హంగులతో రిజర్వాయర్‌ నిర్మించేలా ఆయన ప్రత్యేక దృష్టి సారించారు. ఈ ప్రాంత రైతుల భూములకు సాగు నీరందించాలనే లక్ష్యంతో ఎప్పటికప్పుడు పనుల గురించి ఆరా తీశారు. భవిష్యత్తులో పర్యాటక కేంద్రంగా తీర్చిదిద్దేలా ప్రణాళిక రచించారు. కేసీఆర్‌ మానస పుత్రికగా రిజర్వాయర్‌ను వర్ణిస్తున్నారు.

కరువు ప్రాంతానికి ప్రయోజనం

కొండపోచమ్మ రిజర్వాయర్‌ ద్వారా కరువు ప్రాంతానికి సాగునీటిని ఇవ్వడానికి అవకాశం ఉంది. కాళేశ్వరం ప్రాజెక్టులో ఇప్పటి వరకు నిర్మించిన అతి పెద్ద రిజర్వాయర్‌ ఇదే. దీని ద్వారా కరువు ప్రాంతాలైన మెదక్‌, సిద్దిపేట, మేడ్చల్‌, యాదాద్రి వంటి జిల్లాలకు ఏటా రెండు పంటలకు సాగునీరు అందుతుంది.

- హరిరాం, కాళేశ్వరం ఈఎన్‌సీ

తర్వాతి గమ్యం ఏమిటి!?

కొండపోచమ్మ రిజర్వాయర్‌ తర్వాత గోదావరి జలాలు చేరేది యాదాద్రి జిల్లాలోని బస్వాపూర్‌, గంధమల రిజర్వాయర్లకే. ఈ మేరకు హైలెవల్‌ మెయిన్‌ కెనాల్స్‌, డిస్ట్రిబ్యూటరీల పనులు తుది దశకు చేరాయి.

లబ్ధి పొందే జిల్లాలు: 1. కరీంనగర్‌ 2. సిరిసిల్ల 3. సిద్దిపేట 4. మెదక్‌ 5. యాదాద్రి 6. నల్లగొండ 7. సంగారెడ్డి 8. జగిత్యాల 9. నిజామాబాద్‌ 10. కామారెడ్డి 11. నిర్మల్‌ 12. మేడ్చల్‌ 13. పెద్దపల్లి 14. వరంగల్‌ అర్బన్‌ 15. వరంగల్‌ రూరల్‌ 16. భూపాలపల్లి 17. మహబూబాబాద్‌ 18. ఖమ్మం 19. జనగామ 20. సూర్యాపేట

CM orders DPR forinterlinking project

CM orders DPR forinterlinking project
STAFF REPORTERVIJAYAWADA, OCTOBER 29, 2019 00:51 IST
UPDATED: OCTOBER 29, 2019 00:51 IST
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Estimated cost ₹60,000 cr.; balancingreservoir at Bollapalli major component
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has instructed the Water Resources Department (WRD) to get a Detailed Project Report (DPR) prepared by Water and Power Consultancy Services Limited (WAPCOS) for diverting about 23,000 cusecs (2 tmcft per day) of Godavari river water from the Polavaram dam to the Banakcherla head regulator on the Srisailam right main canal as part of the linking of the Godavari and Krishna rivers. It is estimated to cost ₹60,000 crore.

According to an official release, as part of the project, the government contemplates building a balancing reservoir with a storage capacity of 150 tmcft at Bollapalli in Guntur district by lifting water at chainage km 114.50 of Nagarjuna Sagar right canal.

Additional ayacut
The interlinking project will stabilise Nagarjuna Sagar (NSP) right main canal ayacut (9.61 lakh acres), create irrigation potential for a new ayacut of about two lakh acres under NSP Phase-II in the Darsi and Kanigiri Assembly constituencies in Prakasam district, supplement Poola Subbaiah Velugonda project, KC Canal, and the Srisailam right bank canal, complex etc., and meet the drinking water requirements of Guntur and Prakasam districts.

The press release by WRD said upon studying the last 15 years’ daily gauge data of the Godavari river, it has been inferred by WAPCOS that the average number of flood days at 1,200 cubic metres per second flow (3.7 TMC) at Polavaram gauge station stood at 105, the total static lift from the Polavaram reservoir to the Banakacherla regulator was 230 m and the total power required is 2,100 MW. The length of the gravity canal is about 460 km.

Andhra government plans balancing reservoir at Bollapalli at cost of Rs 60000 crore

Andhra government plans balancing reservoir at Bollapalli at cost of Rs 60000 crore
The objective of the proposed balancing reservoir with a capacity of 150 TMCs is to divert Godavari water from Polavaram to the Banakacherla head regulator.


Published: 29th October 2019 05:47 AM  |   Last Updated: 29th October 2019 05:47 AM  |  A+A A-
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan ReddyAndhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (File Photo |EPS)By Express News Service
VIJAYAWADA: In a step towards inter-linking of Krishna-Godavari basins, the YSRC government has decided to construct a balancing reservoir at Bollapalli in Guntur district at an estimated cost of Rs 60,000 crore. The objective of the proposed balancing reservoir with a capacity of 150 TMCs is to divert Godavari water from Polavaram to the Banakacherla head regulator.

As per the proposal, which came up during Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s review of the water resources department on Monday, around 23,000 cusecs -- two TMC per day (210 TMC) of Godavari water in 105 days -- will be diverted from river Godavari to the Banakacherla head regulator.
Apart from stabilising irrigation water supply to 9.61 lakh acres under the Nagarjunasagar right canal ayacut, the project will irrigate two lakh acres in Kanigiri and Darsi constituencies of Prakasam district under NSP Phase- II and also cater to the drinking water needs of Prakasam and Guntur districts.
Veligonda Project, KC Canal, TGP, SRBC Complex will also be supplemented from the Banakacherla regulator, an official release said.

After studying the daily gauge data of the Godavari for the past 15 years, the WAPCOS estimated that the average flood days with the availability of 1,200 cusecs flow (3.7 TMC) at Polavaram gauge station was arrived as 105 days.

The government decided to make use of the Godavari water flowing into the sea and came up with the plan to construct a reservoir at Bollapalli.

As per the preliminary planning, Godavari water will be diverted to the Krishna through Polavaram right main canal. From there it will be diverted to Nagarjunasagar right canal and then to the proposed reservoir at Bollapalli by lifting water at ‘chainage’ KM 114.500 of Nagarjunasagar right canal.

From Bollapalli, water will be supplied to Veligonda reservoir and a tunnel will be built in Nallamala forest to take water to the Banakacherla head regulator.
Meanwhile, Jagan also underscored the need for completion of the irrigation projects on priority basis. “Notwithstanding financial constraints, we should complete the irrigation projects on a priority basis. We should be very cautious in utilisation of financial resources. First priority should be given to those projects which yield desired results immediately after completion of the works and funds should be spent on the projects accordingly,’’ Jagan opined.

Officials said that works on most of the Jalayagnam scheme of the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy government were pending due to land acquisition problems and delay in getting clearance from the forest department.

The Chief Minister went through the progress of various ongoing irrigation projects as well as those proposed to be taken up and expressed dissatisfaction over some of the reservoirs, particularly those in Rayalaseema, not being filled to the full storage level despite prolonged flood in river Krishna.
“It is sad that reservoirs are not full even though floods continued for several days. Prepare an action plan for increasing the capacity of canals carrying water to reservoirs in Rayalaseema from Srisailam project,’’ Jagan said and instructed officials to submit a detailed report for filling all the reservoirs on Krishna river within 40 days by increasing the capacity of canals.

Explaining the reasons behind some of the reservoirs not reaching the full water level, officials said against the full capacity of 12.44 TMC in Gorakallu reservoir they could fill only up to 9 TMC so far as they need forest department clearance to fill it to the full capacity. 
Similarly, Owk reservoir also needed forest clearance, and so far they could fill up to 3.3 TMC of water while its capacity is 4.15 TMC.

When the officials informed him that 5,000 cusecs of water had to be released from Telugu Ganga project to SPVB reservoir in Kadapa, only 1,300 to 2,000 cusecs is being released, Jagan asked them to prepare an action plan to rectify the problem. 

He also directed the officials to complete the relief and rehabilitation works in Velugonda, Gandikota and CBR projects and fill them to their full capacity. Earlier, the officials explained to the Chief Minister about the present condition and the water levels in the reservoirs of Krishna, Godavari and Penna basins. 

Saturday 23 May 2020

‘Legalise Krishna water quota for greater Rayalaseema’

‘Legalise Krishna water quota for greater Rayalaseema’
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTANANTAPUR, JULY 26, 2019 00:48 IST
UPDATED: JULY 26, 2019 00:48 IST
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New pressure group discusses welfare of the region
Promising the Krishna river water for the greater Rayalaseema region, the Pattiseema and Chintalapudi lift irrigation schemes on the Godavari have been operationalised and from 2021 June the Polavaram will service the Krishna Delta region.

Thus the entire quantum of Krishna water thus saved must be immediately legalised for supply from the Srisailam through a government order, demanded a pressure group from the region.

Led by former Minister Sake Sailajanath, former MPs Mysoora Reddy, G. Prathap Reddy and former Guntakal MLA Madhusudhan Gupta, a ‘yet to be named’ pressure group for the welfare of greater Rayalaseema - the four district of Rayalaseema along with Prakasam and Nellore districts – held a meeting in Hyderabad last week on fulfilling the promise to the region while taking up the Pattiseema or the Polavaram.

At a press conference here on Thursday, Mr. Mysoora Reddy and Mr. Sailajanath said this was a non-political organisation and since the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana had a meeting on modalities of cooperation for bringing the Godavari water to Srisailam, the group took up this water sharing issue first.

Main demand
“Our demand is maintaining 885 feet full reservoir level (FRL) at Srisailam so that allocated water (on 75% dependability) saved from the Krishna Delta, hitherto served either from Prakasam Barrage or Nagarjunasagar Project, is diverted first to the HNSS, Galeru Nagari, Telugu Ganga, Veligonda, Nettampadu or SLBC. A legal framework must be created for letting the region first draw the 40 tmcft saved (due to Pattiseema or Chintalapudi lift projects) from the coming season through Pothireddypadu Head Regulator,” said Mr. Mysoora Reddy.

‘CMs should talk’
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and his Telangana counterpart Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao must sit together and leverage their bonhomie to arrive at a realistic formula to regulate water at the Srisailam dam as per Bachawat Tribunal allocations, said Mr. Reddy. Power generation must be done only if there was water flow above 885 feet so that the need of the region was first met, said Mr. Sailajanath.

Telangana quota
The allocation to Telangana through its Kalwakurthy and Nettampadu also could be met and another 80 tmcft Krishna water saved from the time the Polavaram dam got operationalised.

Steps should be taken to serve the Godavari water through NSP Left and Right Canals so that there was no dependence on the Krishna water downstream of the Nagarjunasagar Project, they added.

It was up to Telangana if wanted to take up the Dummugudem project from the tail-end pond of the Nagarjunasagar - a project started in combined Andhra Pradesh, but stopped after division of the State, he said.

గోదావరి–కావేరీ నదుల అనుసంధానం - నితిన్ గడ్కరీ

గోదావరి కావేరి

గోదావరి–కావేరీ నదుల అనుసంధానం
Nov 24, 2017, 02:09 IST
Centre plans to transfer surplus Godavari water to Cauvery river: Nitin Gadkari - Sakshi
ప్రణాళిక రూపకల్పనకు రాష్ట్రాల సీఎంలతో సమావేశం

చెన్నై–బెంగళూరు మధ్య రూ.20వేల కోట్ల ఎక్స్‌ప్రెస్‌ వే: గడ్కారీ

చెన్నై: నదుల అనుసంధానంపై కేంద్ర ప్రభుత్వం పూర్తి చిత్తశుద్ధితో ఉందని, గోదావరి మిగులు జలాల్ని కావేరీకి తరలించేందుకు ప్రణాళిక రూపకల్పన కోసం ముఖ్యమంత్రుల సమావేశం నిర్వహిస్తామని కేంద్ర జల వనరుల శాఖ మంత్రి నితిన్‌ గడ్కారీ చెప్పారు. గోదావరి–కావేరీ నదుల అనుసంధానానికి జల వనరుల శాఖ కృషి చేస్తోందని, ఇది కార్యరూపం దాల్చితే దక్షిణాది రాష్ట్రాల్లో నీటి కొరత తీరుతుందని పేర్కొన్నారు. ‘మిగులు జలాల్ని గోదావరి నది నుంచి కృష్ణకు, అక్కడి నుంచి పెన్నా.. చివరకు కావేరీకి తరలించాలని జల వనరుల శాఖ నిర్ణయించింది’ అని చెన్నైలో గడ్కారీ వెల్లడించారు.


ఈ ప్రాజెక్టుల విషయంలో రాష్ట్రాల ఆందోళనలపై చర్చిస్తున్నామని, సమీప భవిష్యత్తులో నిర్ధిష్ట కార్యాచరణ ప్రణాళికతో ముందుకు వస్తామని ఆయన చెప్పారు. ‘తమిళనాడు, కర్ణాటక, ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్, తెలంగాణ రాష్ట్రాల ముఖ్యమంత్రులతో సమావేశం నిర్వహించి, వారి అనుమతితో ప్రణాళికను ఖరారు చేస్తాం. ఈ ప్రాజెక్టుల్ని జాతీయ ప్రాజెక్టులుగా పరిగణిస్తాం. 90 శాతం ఖర్చు కేంద్ర ప్రభుత్వం, 10 శాతం రాష్ట్ర ప్రభుత్వాలు భరిస్తాయి’ అని తెలిపారు. 

మొదటి ప్రాజెక్టులో భాగంగా 300 టీఎంసీల గోదావరి నీటిని పోలవరం ప్రాజెక్టు నుంచి నాగార్జున సాగర్‌ డ్యాం ద్వారా కృష్ణాకు మళ్లిస్తారు. అక్కడి నుంచి పెన్నా నదిపై ఉన్న సోమశిల ప్రాజెక్టుకు.. అనంతరం కావేరీ నది పరివాహకంలోని గ్రాండ్‌ ఆనకట్టుకు మళ్లిస్తారు. కాల్వల ద్వారా కాకుండా స్టీలు పైపుల ద్వారా నీటిని తరలిస్తాయని గడ్కారీ వెల్లడించారు. మొదటి దశలో 100 టీఎంసీల నీరు కావేరీకి వెళ్తుందని, ఈ ప్రాజెక్టు ద్వారా తమిళనాడు, కర్ణాటక, ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్, తెలంగాణ రాష్ట్రాలు లబ్ధిపొందుతాయని తెలిపారు. రెండో ప్రాజెక్టులో భాగంగా ఇంద్రావతి నది నుంచి నీటిని నాగార్జున సాగర్‌ డ్యాంకు తరలిస్తాం.

అక్కడి నుంచి సోమశిల ప్రాజెక్టుకు మళ్లించి అనంతరం కర్ణాటకతో సంబంధం లేకుండా కావేరీకి నీటిని తరలిస్తాం’ అని గడ్కారీ వెల్లడించారు. అలాగే చెన్నై – బెంగళూరుల మధ్య రూ. 20 వేల కోట్లతో ఎక్స్‌ప్రెస్‌ వేను నిర్మిస్తామని చెప్పారు. తమిళనాడులోని తాంబరం–చెంగల్‌పట్టు మధ్య రూ. 2,250 కోట్లు, పూనామలీ నుంచి మదురవొయల్‌ మధ్య రూ. 1500 కోట్లతో, చెన్నై–  ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్‌లోని నెల్లూరు మధ్య రూ. 1000 కోట్లతో ఎలివేటెడ్‌ కారిడార్స్‌ నిర్మాణ ప్రతిపాదనలు ఉన్నాయని తెలిపారు.  

"Fight There, Not Here": Speaker Tells Lawmaker On Cauvery Water Dispute

"Fight There, Not Here": Speaker Tells Lawmaker On Cauvery Water Dispute
When Karnataka MP Shobha Karandlaje spoke during the Question Hour about the scarcity of drinking water in different parts of her state, she also mentioned about Karnataka's disputes with Tamil Nadu over Cauvery water.
All IndiaPress Trust of IndiaUpdated: July 18, 2019 07:01 pm IST
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'Fight There, Not Here':  Speaker Tells Lawmaker On Cauvery Water Dispute
Karnataka has long-standing dispute with Tamil Nadu over river Cauvery. (File)




New Delhi: "Fight there, not here," was Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla's reply when a ruling BJP member from Karnataka spoke in Lok Sabha on Thursday about the state's long standing dispute with Tamil Nadu over Cauvery water.
When Karnataka MP Shobha Karandlaje spoke during the Question Hour about the scarcity of drinking water in different parts of her state, she also mentioned about Karnataka's disputes with Tamil Nadu over Cauvery water, pointing towards members from her neighbouring state sitting in opposition benches, and with Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

The Speaker remarked, "fight there, not here", leading to a peal of laughter from members.

Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said most of the river water disputes among states were either in courts or in tribunals.

Mr Shekhawat also sought cooperation from states to resolve such issues.

The minister said under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan, a total of 1,592 blocks have been selected in 256 ground water stressed districts.


"Out of 1,592 blocks, 312 are critical blocks, 1,186 are over-exploited blocks and 94 blocks are with low groundwater availability. It is a time-bound, mission-mode water conservation campaign," he said.

Mr Shekhawat said as reported by states on Integrated Management Information System (IMIS), out of total 17.87 crore rural households in the country, about 3.27 crore (about 18.33 per cent) rural households are getting drinking water from tap connection.

"As announced in the Union Budget Speech 2019-20, it has been envisaged to ensure piped water supply to all rural households by 2024 under the Jal Jeevan Mission," he said.

The minister said the Jal Shakti Abhiyan, a water conservation campaign is a collaborative effort of various ministries, departments of the government of India and state governments, being coordinated by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Friday 22 May 2020

Centre To Soon Link Godavari And Cauvery: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari

Centre To Soon Link Godavari And Cauvery: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari
Linking Of Godavari, Cauvery: Nitin Gadkari said a detailed project report for linking rivers Godavari-Krishna-Pennar-Cauvery will soon be presented to the Cabinet.

All IndiaPress Trust of IndiaUpdated: January 21, 2019 07:32 pm IST

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Centre To Soon Link Godavari And Cauvery: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari
Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are locked in a dispute over sharing of the Cauvery river water for decades.

Amaravati: The Centre would soon take up a major project to link rivers Godavari and Cauvery that would resolve water issues between four southern states, Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari announced in Amaravati on Monday.
The objective of the project, expected to cost upto Rs 60,000 crore, was to make good use of about 1100 tmc ft of Godavari water that currently drained into the sea, he said, addressing a meeting of BJP workers in Amaravati.

"The detailed project report for linking rivers Godavari-Krishna-Pennar-Cauvery is ready. We will soon present it to the Cabinet for approval. Thereafter, we will raise finances for the project either from the World Bank or the Asian Development Bank as the project cost is about Rs 50,000 crore to Rs 60,000 crore," Mr Gadkari said.

The Godavari water would thus be taken to the tail end of Tamil Nadu, he said.

"Every year, about 1,100 tmc ft of Godavari water is going waste into the Bay of Bengal while there is a dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka... So we have taken the decision to take Godavari water to Tamil Nadu and that will resolve all water issues among four states," Mr Gadkari noted.

A special technology, suggested by a US-based AP engineer, of using steel pipes would be used for linking Godavari and Cauvery.


"Fight There, Not Here": Speaker Tells Lawmaker On Cauvery Water Dispute

"We have decided not to use canals as it results in water (evaporation) losses. Low thickness steel pipes with a special treatment will be used that will also save the project cost significantly," the Union Minister said.

Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are locked in a dispute over sharing of the Cauvery river water for decades.

Mr Gadkari reiterated that the Centre would spend "100 per cent" cost of the ongoing Polavaram multipurpose project.

"We have given a lot of priority to Polavaram and never discriminated against Andhra Pradesh. With the cooperation of the state government and 100 per cent Central funding, we are implementing the project in an expeditious manner," he said.

Mr Gadkari, however, regretted that the Chandrababu Naidu government was not giving any credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi or the Central government for such efforts.

Godavari and Cauvery River Interlinking Project

Godavari and Cauvery River Interlinking Project
11 Feb 2020 4 min read
Tags: GS Paper - 1Water ResourcesGovernment Policies & Interventions
Why in News
The National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has circulated a draft Detailed Project Report (DPR) on Godavari-Cauvery link project to the concerned states to elicit their views.

The project envisages the diversion of 247 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of unutilised water in the Indravati sub-basin of the Godavari basin to meet the requirements between the Godavari and the Cauvery rivers.
Water will be diverted from Godavari river to Nagarjuna Sagar dam(through lifting) and further south to meet the demands of Krishna, Pennar and Cauvery basins.
The Godavari - Cauvery link comprises three components namely,
the Godavari (Inchampalli/Janampet) - Krishna (Nagarjunasagar),
the Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) – Pennar (Somasila) and
the Pennar (Somasila)–Cauvery.
The project will provide irrigation facilities to 3.45 to 5.04 lakh hectares in Prakasam, Nellore, Krishna, Guntur, and Chittoor districts of Andhra Pradesh.
National Water Development Agency

NWDA is a registered society under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
It was set up in the year 1982 to carry out detailed studies, surveys and investigations in respect of the Peninsular Component of National Perspective for Water Resources Development, which envisages inter-basin water transfer.
Godavari River
Source: Godavari river rises from Trimbakeshwar near Nasik in Maharashtra and flows for a length of about 1465 km before outfalling into the Bay of Bengal.
Drainage Basin: The Godavari basin extends over states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha in addition to smaller parts in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Union territory of Puducherry.
Tributaries: Pravara, Purna, Manjra, Penganga, Wardha, Wainganga, Pranhita (combined flow of Wainganga, Penganga, Wardha), Indravati, Maner and the Sabri.
Krishna River
Source: It originates near Mahabaleshwar (Satara) in Maharashtra.
Drainage Basin: It runs from four states namely, Maharashtra, Karnataka,Telangana and Andhra Pradesh before emptying into the Bay of Bengal.
Tributaries: Tungabhadra, Mallaprabha, Koyna, Bhima, Ghataprabha, Yerla, Warna, Dindi, Musi and Dudhganga.
Nagarjunasagar dam is on the river Krishna.
Pennar River
Source: It rises in Nandi Hills in Chikballapur District of Karnataka and runs north and east before emptying into the Bay of Bengal.
Drainage Basin: It is 597 kilometres long, with a drainage basin covering 55,213 km2 in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Tributaries: Jayamangali, Kunderu, Sagileru,Chitravathi, Papagni and Cheyyeru.
Cauvery River
Source: The river rises on Brahmagiri Hill of the Western Ghats in southwestern Karnataka.
Drainage Basin: It flows in a southeasterly direction through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and descends the Eastern Ghats in a series of great falls. Before emptying into the Bay of Bengal south of Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, the river breaks into a large number of distributaries forming a wide delta called the “garden of southern India.”
Tributaries: Arkavathi, Hemavathi, Lakshmana Theertha, Shimsa, Kabini and Harangi.

What the Godavari-Krishna-Cauvery river-linking project is all about

What the Godavari-Krishna-Cauvery river-linking project is all about

https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/explainer-what-godavari-krishna-cauvery-river-linking-project-all-about-103003

Breaking down the controversy, and the peninsular river-linking project.

Explainer What the Godavari-Krishna-Cauvery river-linking project is all aboutCAUVERY RIVER/MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
NEWS RIVER-LINKING TUESDAY, JUNE 04, 2019 - 18:07
Manasa Rao Follow @manasarao

Days after the Lok Sabha election results, there was minor fracas on the internet over a tweet made the BJP’s Tamil Nadu wing. “My first job would be to link Godavari and Krishna and bring water to Tamil Nadu,” it quoted Union Minister Nitin Gadkari as saying. And the statement was followed up by a condescending note that although TN had rejected BJP, BJP will do its duty. Both parts of the tweet were roundly criticised; the first, by people who said Godavari and Krishna were already linked, and that river linking is not necessarily a good idea. And the second by people who pointed out that it was the job of the government to work for all people, and not just people who voted for a particular party.

While there is no argument with the second criticism – indeed, governments should not discriminate against people who may not agree with them, what about the first part? Are Krishna and Godavari already linked? What does this project have to do with Tamil Nadu, a state that neither river passes through?

And what do experts have to say about river-interlinking as a concept?


Godavari and Krishna interlinking

The proposal to link Godavari, which is prone to flooding, and Krishna, which doesn’t have enough water, has been around for several decades. While river-interlinking for the purposes of navigation as an idea was mooted by the British in India, in 1972, engineer and Union Minister KL Rao proposed the linking of Godavari and Krishna for irrigation.

The decades-old proposal finally took shape in the 2000s, and in 2016, the Andhra government linked the two rivers with the Pattiseema Lift Irrigation project, in Andhra’s West Godavari district. On September 15, 2016, the ‘flood water’ from Godavari was diverted to the Prakasam barrage on Krishna river, 124 km away. The project was designed to meet the irrigation and drinking water needs of drought-prone Rayalaseema region in the state.

The project in fact made it to the Limca Book of Records for being completed within a year, but has also been criticised by the CAG for ‘wasting funds.’



The plan for Tamil Nadu

Now, coming to Tamil Nadu. On the day of the Lok Sabha results, in an interview with English news channel Tiranga, Nitin Gadkari had said, “As we said in our manifesto, we will include a branch called Jal Shakti and PM Modi also mentioned this in a meeting recently that where water is less, water (can be transferred) from one basin into another. I am a minister of this branch and we are talking of joining the waters of Godavari and Cauvery.”

What he was referring to is the project to link major peninsular rivers, including the Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery – all of which originate in the Western Ghats and flow towards the east.

According to the feasibility report of the Cauvery Vaigai Gundar project by the National Water Development Agency, the river-linking envisages a diversion of surplus flows of the Mahanadi basin and the Godavari basin, to the water short Krishna, Pennar, Cauvery, Vaigai and Gundar basins in the South.

Basically, the plan is to divert 12,165 mm³ of water annually from Mahanadi to Godavari, through the Mahanadi-Godavari link canal. And then, from Godavari, 26,122 mm³ will be diverted to Krishna through three links – Inchampalli-Nagarjunasagar, Inchampalli-Pulichintala and Polavaram-Vijayawada.

Out of the water thus brought to Krishna, the project will divert 14,080 mm³ to Pennar through three link canals – Almatti-Pennar, Srisailam-Pennar and Nagarjunasagar-Somasila.

And from Pennar, a quantity of 8,565 mm³ of water will be diverted to Cauvery through the Somasila-Grand Anicut link.



The proposed river-link canal would traverse through the districts of Karur, Tiruchchirappalli, Pudukkottai, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram and Virudhunagar in Tamil Nadu, for a length of 255.60 km. In addition to enabling irrigation, the water is also supposed to provide for domestic and industrial water requirements.

What experts say

However, the new announcement by the Minister has once again sent alarm bells ringing among experts who have pointed out that the notion that the linking of rivers would mean more efficient distribution of water and reduction of flooding is fundamentally flawed.

Speaking to TNM, Professor S Janakarajan of the Madras Institute of Development Studies said that river-linking is not like plumbing work. “It’s not about disconnecting and connecting a pipe. Since the river linking project would amount to changing geography, ecological implications would be huge for the present and more so for the future generations,” he cautioned.

He also questioned the methodology used for the calculation of the supposed surplus, asking, “Surplus in the Godavari basin is reported to be 1,100 TMC ft. This raises questions: who calculated this surplus, when, where and using what methodology? Even if this surplus exists today, it may vanish tomorrow given the increasing demand for water. Surplus is not going to stay forever, it is a dynamic concept.”

“As per the original peninsular river link, first Mahanadhi should be linked Godavari. This should be the first phase. The second phase is linking Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery. Here, without completing the first phase, the second phase is attempted. This is the objection raised by the government of Telangana. The main argument to complete first phase is to get the surplus from Mahanadhi before diverting water from Godavari to other states. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments don't agree that there is surplus in Godavari. Where is the surplus emerging from? Can you divert the water without the consent of the riparian states, that too when they are facing acute water scarcity?” he asked.

In addition to these questions, the professor, who specialises in water and environmental issues, said that the lifting and pumping involved in the project would demand a lot of energy which may not be feasible to provide.

Karnataka, TN demand higher share of water from Godavari-Cauvery link project

Karnataka, TN demand higher share of water from Godavari-Cauvery link project

The governments of both states have asserted their rights to get a higher share of water from the project, which has been flagged as an ambitious one by the present central government.

Karnataka TN demand higher share of water from Godavari-Cauvery link projectFILE IMAGE
NEWS WATER TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2019 - 18:41
Megha Kaveri Follow @meghakaveri

The governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have demanded a higher water share from the proposed river interlinking project of Godavari and Cauvery. While Tamil Nadu has demanded that its share be increased from the current 83 tmcft to 200 tmcft, Karnataka has emphasised that it also has a rightful share in the water diverted from Godavari. 

The comments from both the state governments were obtained as an RTI response recently. The government of Tamil Nadu had submitted its comments on the draft of Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the interlinking proposal in September 2019 to the National Water Development Agency (NWDA). Among the comments, Tamil Nadu has requested the NWDA to increase the capacity of water holding at Tamil Nadu border to at least 200 tmcft in order to meet the growing drinking water needs of the people of Tamil Nadu. 

As per the DPR, 247 tmcft of water is proposed to be diverted from the Godavari basin to the Krishna basin under the project, of which 163 tmcft will be set aside for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The remaining water will be provided to Tamil Nadu. 


The BJP government had, immediately after the 2019-electoral victory, confirmed that water will be transferred from a place of excess to a place of deficit. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had stated in an interview that major peninsular rivers will be linked, including Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery. 

According to the feasibility report of the Cauvery Vaigai Gundar project by the MWDA, the river-linking project involves the diversion of surplus waters of the Mahanadi basin and the Godavari basin, to Krishna, Pennar, Cauvery, Vaigai and Gundar basins in the South, which suffer from water shortage. The plan is to divert water from Mahanadi to Godavari first and then from Godavari to Krishna, Pennar and Cauvery with a goal to help in wider irrigation of lands in the river basins. 

Read: Explainer: What the Godavari-Krishna-Cauvery river-linking project is all about

The government of Karnataka, meanwhile, has asserted its right to share in the water diverted from the Godavari river to the Krishna river, under the project. 

According to a response by the Karnataka Water Resource Department to the NWDA, filed on July 26, the Godavari Water Dispute Tribunal has endorsed the sharing of water diverted from Godavari basin among the riparian states of the Krishna river. Referring to the Tribunal’s award of 35 tmcft of water to Karnataka and Maharashtra from the 80 tmcft water transferred from Godavari basin to Krishna basic through the Polavaram project, the government of Karnataka stated that the Tribunal award also provided for sharing of any excess water that is being diverted from Godavari basin. 

“In view of all the above facts, it is very much clear that the Karnataka state has a rightful share in Krishna, Cauvery and Pennar basin on account of augmentation of water from Godavari river to these basins,” reads the RTI response. 

Experts, meanwhile, have cautioned against adverse ecological implications that would arise if the government went ahead with its plan to interlink the rivers. 

Wednesday 20 May 2020

Srisailam dam hits critical 854 feet level

Srisailam dam hits critical 854 feet level
DC CORRESPONDENT
PublishedDec 8, 2014, 6:33 am ISTUpdatedMar 30, 2019, 8:30 am IST

Row over minimum draw down level persist in TS, AP ignore KRMB guidelines on water use
Two GOs issued by previous governments prohibit use of Srisailam waters below 854 ft except for drinking 
 Two GOs issued by previous governments prohibit use of Srisailam waters below 854 ft except for drinking 
Hyderabad: The controversial multi purpose Srisailam reservoir level on Sunday touched the Minimum Draw Down Level (MDDL) of 854 ft, forcing the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) to intervene in the matter as Telangana government is continuing to withdraw water for power generation and AP government is using the water for drinking and irrigation purposes.

The two GOs issued by previous governments clearly prohibit use of Srisailam waters below 854 ft except for drinking purposes.



Prinicipal secretary, irrigation, to government of AP, B. Adityanath Das, on Sunday told this newspaper that AP government was informing about the water utilisation from Srisailam to the KRMB from time to time.

“The GOs restrict use of water for power generation below 854 ft level. We found that the Telangana government, after using water for power generation, is pumping back the same water into the dam during non peak night time. If the water level goes below the MDDL, we will lodge a formal complaint,” Mr Adityanath Das said.

However, Telangana engineering in chief C. Muralidhar said, “We will go up to 834 ft level if necessary. There are no restrictions on power generation upto 834 ft level according to GO 233, which was again issued by the previous government.

If MDDL at 854 ft needs to be maintained, how can AP withdraw water for Pothireddypadu canal and HandriNeeva Lift schemes even today for irrigation in the name of drinking water?”

The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB), which is a constituent of AP Reorganisation Act, is now in a fix on reigning in both the states, especially the Telangana government, in making maximum use of available waters at Srisailam Dam.

“Unless I check the latest information and the complaints by respective states, I cannot comment on anything at this stage,” KRMB chairman S.K.G. Pandit told this newspaper on Sunday.

However, both the Telangana and AP governments are not responding to the draft policy guidelines framed by KRMB two months ago.

The KRMB, which is the monitoring agency for implementing the existing awards and the GOs on distribution of Krishna River waters for both the states, had prepared the guidelines.

Unless, both the governments respond to it, the Board has no powers to implement them. The Board, in its letter on October 24, had asked both the governments to adhere to the existing GOs till a new policy guidelines on operational systems are evolved.

Sources said both the governments have referred the draft to their legal departments to get their views and only then the matter will be put before their Chief Ministers.

While Telangana government is arguing that MDDL at Srisailam needs to be further reduced keeping in view the needs of Telangana, the AP government argues exactly opposite.

841 feet is the new magic figure for drawal

841 feet is the new magic figure for drawal
G Venkataramana RaoVIJAYAWADA, JULY 24, 2018 00:17 IST
UPDATED: JULY 24, 2018 00:17 IST
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State issues GO reducing level from 854 feet
With the water level in the Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy Srisailam Reservoir still 6.5 feet below the erstwhile magic figure or 854 feet, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s announcement that water would be released to the Pothireddypadu head regulator came as a surprise to many. The announcement is not as arbitrary as it may appear though.

The Rajasekhara Reddy government issued an order saying water from the Srisailam dam should not be drawn until the level reached 854 ft. According to the G.O., if the level fell below it, A.P. could not draw water for its Rayalaseema projects through Pothireddypadu.

No consensus

After bifurcation, the two States could not arrive at a consensus and began drawing water well before the level had reached the magic figure.

Last October, the Telangana government withdrew from the agreement to wait for 854 ft before drawing water. Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao wrote to the Centre that it withdrew “its consent to maintain the water level in Srisailam at 854 ft”.

The A.P. government however upstaged Telangana by issuing a G.O. dated February 23, 2017 and reducing the level for drawing water from the head regulator to 841 ft. It even sanctioned ₹17 crore to widen the approach channel of the regulator to draw water at that level.

2 lakh cusecs received

The Chief Minister’s announcement was thus well within the provisions of the G.O. The Srisailam reservoir received 2,19,368 cusecs on Sunday. Officials said if the inflows continued at the current rate, Srisailam would reach 885 ft within 10 days.

Godavari-Kaveri river linking project: Draft DPR

Godavari-Kaveri river linking project: Draft DPR for linking Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri ready
By: Pratishtha Nangia | Published: February 10, 2020 10:13:26 PM
Godavari-Kaveri river linking project update: The Narendra Modi government has made the draft Detailed Project Report (DPR) for linking the three rivers - Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri ready, said Rattan Lal Kataria, Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti & Social Justice and Empowerment in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.


he Godavari has been prone to flooding whereas Krishna, on the other hand, doesn’t have enough water.
Godavari-Kaveri river linking project update: The Narendra Modi government has made the draft Detailed Project Report (DPR) for linking the three rivers – Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri ready, said Rattan Lal Kataria, Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti & Social Justice and Empowerment in a written reply in Rajya Sabha. The minister said that the project to connect the rivers includes three links — Godavari (Inchampalli/Janampet)-Krishna (Nagarjunasagar), Krishna (Nagarjunasagar)-Pennar (Somasila) and Pennar (Somasila)-Cauvery (Grand Anicut). According to the draft DPR, around 247 TMC of water can be diverted from Godavari river to Nagarjunsagar dam through lifting and further south for meeting the demands of Krishna, Pennar and Cauvery basins.

“The cost of the project has been estimated as Rs 60,361 crore at the financial year 2018-19 price level by National Water Development Agency (NWDA),” the minister told the upper house. He further said that the stage of implementation of a project would be finalised only after the final DPR is prepared. This would be done with the consensus of the concerned states and only after the requisite statutory clearances are obtained. He also said that the pooling of resources will be decided after completion of the final DPR.

Meanwhile, the proposal for linking these rivers has been around for many years. The Godavari has been prone to flooding whereas Krishna, on the other hand, doesn’t have enough water. On September 15, 2016, water from the Godavari river was diverted to the Prakasam barrage on Krishna river, 124 km away.

Last year, Nitin Gadkari, the then Water Resources Minister had said that Godavari-Kaveri river linking project would resolve the water disputes of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The project will make use of 1,100 tmc ft water of Godavari which is currently being wasted by going directly into



DPR for Godavari-Cauvery link ready, says Gadkari
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTKARAIKAL, FEBRUARY 29, 2020 01:24 IST
UPDATED: FEBRUARY 29, 2020 05:10 IST
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Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari handing over a certificate to a candidate at the convocation of the NIT-Puducherry, in Karaikal on Friday.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari handing over a certificate to a candidate at the convocation of the NIT-Puducherry, in Karaikal on Friday.   | Photo Credit: Handout

‘Proposal entails investment of ₹60,000 cr. and will end water disputes’
A detailed project report entailing a massive investment of ₹60,000 crore to divert surplus water from the Godavari to the Cauvery via the Krishna and Pennar rivers, as part of the Polavaram Irrigation Project, has been prepared, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said on Friday.

The project for linking the inter-State rivers for a length of 1,252 km — 340 km in Telengana, 551 km in Andhra Pradesh and 361 km in Tamil Nadu — would be a lasting solution to the dispute among the riparian States over sharing the Cauvery river water, Mr. Gadkari said.

He was addressing graduands at the convocation ceremony of the National Institute of Technology Puducherry (NITPY) at Karaikal.

“The disputed quantum of water claimed [as entitlement] was much lesser than what would accrue to Tamil Nadu from the Polavaram project,” Mr. Gadkari said.

Seeking to explain that India was a rich country with poor people, Mr. Gadkari advocated research pursuits for students based on two philosophies: waste to wealth, and knowledge to wealth. To buttress this point, he cited the profitable social enterprises generating substantial wealth by converting sewage water into hydrogen fuel cell.

“The project to operate 400 buses in Maharashtra using bio-CNG, bio-diesel, methane gas sourced from vegetable and animal wastes and ethanol generated from sugarcane as replacement for petroleum products will save ₹60 crore a year,” he said.

Cost-effective power
He called for use of cost-effective power generated from integrated solar-wind plants, similar to the one at Kandla in Gujarat, for use in desalination plants by coastal States. Power generated at Kandla power plant was being sold for only ₹2.30 a unit whereas the desalination plants were purchasing power from conventional sources at ₹6.50 a unit. Also, when the operation of desalination plants were made viable through access to cheap power, the treated water after domestic use could be utilised for agriculture, Mr. Gadkari said.

Tamil Nadu was a rich State, he said and added that it needed appropriate policies and to focus on innovative research to convert knowledge into wealth and eradicate poverty.

“Knowledge, technology and resources alone would not suffice; there must be zeal and entrepreneurship,” the Union Minister told students, urging them to develop the attributes of team work and decision-making.

Mr. Gadkari joined Chief Minister of Puducherry V. Narayanasamy, Education Minister R. Kamalakannan and NITPY Director K. Sankaranarayanasamy in honouring medal winners and awarding degrees to 104 B.Tech graduands, eight M.Tech graduands and four Ph.D holders.

Administrative block
Earlier, Mr. Gadkari inaugurated the new administrative building of the NIT. The new building will house administrative offices, library, training and placement cell and an auditorium.

Presiding over the ceremony, Prof. Sankaranarayanasamy said laboratories developed at a cost of ₹12.38 crore for undertaking cutting-edge research would be put to use soon. A Solar Fish Dryer designed and fabricated by the NIT was donated to fishermen of Kottucherrymedu on the occasion.



Centre prepares draft DPR for linking Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri rivers
As per the draft DPR, around 247 TMC water can be diverted from Godavari river to Nagarjunsagar dam
Central government, Rivers, Godavari river, Krishna river, Kaveri river, Godavari (Inchampalli/Janampet)-Krishna (Nagarjunasagar), Krishna (Nagarjunasagar)-Pennar (Somasila), Pennar (Somasila)-Kaveri (Grand Anicut), Nagarjunsagar dam, Kaveri basins, National Water Development Agency, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
13 Feb 2020
The Central government has prepared the draft detailed project report (DPR) for linking three rivers – Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri.

The project includes three links -- Godavari (Inchampalli/Janampet)-Krishna (Nagarjunasagar), Krishna (Nagarjunasagar)-Pennar (Somasila) and Pennar (Somasila)-Kaveri (Grand Anicut). As per the draft DPR, around 247 TMC water can be diverted from Godavari river to Nagarjunsagar dam through lifting and further south for meeting the demands of Krishna, Pennar and Kaveri basins.

The cost of the project has been pegged at Rs 60,361 crore at FY19 price level by the National Water Development Agency (NWDA).The cost of the project has been pegged at Rs 60,361 crore at FY19 price level by the National Water Development Agency (NWDA).

The stage of implementation of a project will be finalised only after the final DPR is prepared. This will be done with consensus of the concerned states and only after the requisite statutory clearances are obtained.

The pooling of resources will be decided after completion of the final DPR. The Godavari-Kaveri river linking project will resolve water disputes of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The project will make use of 1,100 TMC ft water of Godavari river.

https://www.constructionweekonline.in/projects-tenders/12348-centre-prepares-draft-dpr-for-linking-godavari-krishna-kaveri-rivers



Godavari Krishna River Linking

Godavari Krishna River Linking

Godavari Krishna River Linking: Are we celebrating an illegal, unnecessary & misconceived water transfer project?
DAMS
Godavari Krishna River Linking: Are we celebrating an illegal, unnecessary & misconceived water transfer project?
September 25, 2015SANDRP
The national media seems to be celebrating linking of Godavari and Krishna River in Andhra Pradesh on September 16, 2015 as the first major step towards Inter Linking of Rivers in India. An emotional Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Shri N Chandrababu Naidu called it historic and Pavitra Sangam (Holy Confluence)[1].

What is the reality?

Water transfer, not river linking First let us understand what happened in Andhra Pradesh on Sept 16. The Chief Minister was to inaugurate the first pump (of the what is going to be a battery of 30 pumps) as part of the Pattiseema Project to lift water from Godavari River from a location about 15 km downstream of the proposed Polavaram dam site and transfer it to an intermediate canal of about 5 km length to already constructed Polavaram Right Bank Canal, which will take it to Krishna River near Ferry/ Ibrahimpatnam village in Krishna district, just upstream of the Prakasham barrage/ Vijaywada city (see the SANDRP map). Reports said[2] that the Pattiseema pump did not start, and the water that was being transferred on Sept 16 was being pumped by the existing Tadipudi Lift Irrigation Scheme, a couple of kilometers downstream from Pattiseema. The reports[3] said: “The government has decided to draw 500 cusecs of water from the Tadipudi lift scheme with the help of three pump sets to make Pattiseema scheme operational on an ad hoc basis due to non-completion of the latter’s works.”

The Pattiseema project involves 30 Nos of Vertical Turbine pumps, each of 8 cumecs (Cubic Meters per Second) capacity. The Pattiseema pump could be switched on only on Friday, Sept 18, to be switched off the next day, see for details below (due to a massive leakage in the canal).

The first thing that is clear from this is that this is essentially transfer (by pump) of water from Godavari to Krishna. This cannot be called River Linking. To label it so would show lack of understanding of what is a river. River is not just the water that Pattiseema pump was attempting to transfer from Godavari. The claim of river linking by such water pumping is clearly a false, misleading claim.

By Sept 24, 2015, two pumps were installed and two more had arrived the site, but in response to a controversy, the Chief Engineer accepted that the pumps were only temporarily borrowed from the Handri Neeva Scheme! So it seems even the pumps used at Pattiseema were borrowed from a Rayalseema project. The Cheif Engineer confirmed that the water transfer would be stopped “by November” to complete the works related to the canal.

Project needs Environment clearance under EIA notification, but has not secured it As the Minister of Andhra Pradesh (AP) Water Resources Department Shri D Uma Maheshwara Rao said, Pattiseema project involved removing about 1.3 crore cubic meters of sand from the Godavari River Bed[4]. The kind of work involved in this project can also be seen from the photo album of the project put up on the AP Irrigation Dept website[5].  The Pattiseems project “is likely to throw up new environment and ecological issues affecting agricultural production in thousands of acres en route, damaging the delicate biodiversity and inducing climatological changes in the uplands of West Godavari and Krishna districts… Transfer of such a large quantity of water from one river to another without conducting a proper environment impact study will do more harm than good” warns environmentalists. In fact the Times of India report rightly concluded: “The state government should take up environment impact study through a third party and take remedial measures before releasing water into the canal.” [6]

What is clear from all this is that Pattiseema is a major new irrigation project with major components and impacts on the river and surrounding area. Pattiseema Project was not part of the Polavaram project. However, Pattiseema project has not sought or got the environment clearance that is necessary prior to undertaking any such activity. It has not conducted environment & social impact assessment & management plan or public consultations. Effectively, it has bypassed environmental appraisal and scrutiny completely! What this means is that at this moment, the whole of Pattiseema project is in violation of the EPA 1986, EIA notification of Sept 2006 and is illegal. Some of us have written a letter to MoEF to this effect on Sept 17, 2015, the letter can be seen at Annexure 1. No response has been received from the MoEF or the EAC on this.

Baseless claim that Pattiseema is for domestic and industrial water use! The AP govt GO dated January 1, 2015[7] that sanctioned the Pattiseema project gives some details of the Pattiseema project with stated cost of Rs 1300 crores, the cost has reportedly now gone up to Rs 1400 crores. The GO misleadingly says that the project is for “domestic and industrial use” when in reality, as is apparent from the statements of the AP Chief Minister, Water Resources Minister and others, it is essentially for irrigation benefits for the Krishna Delta area immediately and Rayalseema in future. For example, the reports[8] said: “Thousands of farmers in Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, Kurnool, Kadapa, Anantapur and Chittoor districts will gain from the Godavari-Krishna linkage.”

This is also clear from the fact that there are no details as to how this water will be used for domestic and industrial use, either in the GO or anywhere else including in the statements of the CM and others. This baseless claim has been added to mislead everyone and possibly escape the need for clearances as per the EIA notification.

CWC and techno-economic clearances not taken Section 84 of the AP Re-organisation Act, 2014 requires the AP and Telangana governments to get projects like Pattiseema, involving the use of Godavari and Krishna waters duly appraised, among others, by the Central Water Commission (CWC), before they can be undertaken. Apparently, even this requirement stands infringed. Since the Pattiseema project involves Krishna and Godavari, both interstate rivers, it also needs CWC approval, in addition to getting the Techno-Economic approval from the Technical Advisory Committee of the CWC, which have also not been taken.

Pattiseema to benefit already irrigated area? Currently, Pattiseema project is transferring water that the Krishna delta farmers can use. But Krishna Delta is already irrigated with water from Srisailam-Nagarjunsagar. The under construction Pulichintala Dam is also supposed to benefit the same Krishna Delta. As Dr D Narasimha Reddy told SANDRP, the Pattiseema project is going to benefit the same area that is already benefiting from more than one project. The ultimate beneficiary of this transfer, it is claimed will be the drought prone Rayalseema area. Some say that this is indeed Naidu’s move to cut the popularity of rival Jagan Mohan Reddy in Rayalseema area.

Can Rayalseema benefit from Pattiseema? It is suggested that when Pattiseema irrigates Krishna Delta, the water that will be saved in upstream Srisailam Dam can be used by Rayalseema region. Dr. Y. V. Malla Reddy, Director of Anantpur based AF-Ecology Centre says that there are essentially two projects through Rayalseema can possibly use Srisailam water: Pothireddypadu and Handri Neeva. Both are essentially gravity cum lift irrigation projects, taking water from Srisailam back waters only when water level at Srisailam dam is above 854 feet. The trouble is that neither of the projects are fully ready, nor is the Srisailam dam water likely to reach anywhere near 854 feet this year or in most years, so this claim of Pattiseema benefiting Rayalseema would need a large pinch of salt to believe.

The Hindu agreed: “The logic is a bit convoluted in that there is no direct pipeline beyond the confluence of the Godavari-Krishna rivers that will carry water to Rayalaseema.”

The Power Cost The reports, say: The PLIS consumes 2.712 million units a day, which is nearly half the daily power consumption of the entire Vijayawada City, including its industrial units. The total power needed for operating 24 VT pumps each of 350 cusec discharge capacity with 24 synchronous motors of 4.7 megawatts capacity each require a whooping 113 mw. The unit cost of the power for lift-irrigation purpose is Rs 5.64. That is, the total cost of power consumption a day for the project stands at Rs 1.53 cr. The Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Scheme has been designed to release water at the discharge rate of 8,500 cusecs. The government intends to divert 80 TMC of Godavari water through the PLIS to Krishna. Even if the project continues to work 24×7, it will take about 90-95 days to pump out 80 tmcft of water. Even if we take the minimum amount required for the project to pump the total 80 tmcft of water, the cost of power consumed will come to 90 days x 1.53 cr, that is Rs 137.7 cr. This is only the cost of power and if the costs incurred on other heads like maintenance, etc., are taken into consideration, the total cost incurred for the diversion of the water from Godavari to Krishna will be much more.[9]

The donor Godavari basin also includes Marathwada The most compelling logic of Inter linking of rivers proposal is supposed to be transfer of water from water surplus to water deficit areas to solve problems of both the basins. In the case of the Godavari Krishna River Link, Godavari is the donor basin and Krishna is the recipient basin. Donor basin is supposed to be water surplus basin. However, Marathwada, India’s most drought hit region this year and in recent years[10], is also in Godavari basin! Marathwada had till recently the highest rainfall deficit of 52%. Even after some good rains in last couple of weeks, its total monsoon rainfall is just over 400 mm! With what stretch of imagination can we say that this Godavari basin is surplus in water, ready to transfer to a needy basin?

The recipient Krishna basin donates 120 TMC water annually to Konkan The needy basin, in this case is Krishna basin. If Pattiseema does function as designed, it can transfer 80 TMC (Thousand Million Cubic Feet: 1 TMC = 28.17 Million Cubic Meters, 80 TMC = 2253.6 MCM, but for sake consistency, we will use the unit of TMC that is more popular in the south) of water in a normal year. However, this so called water deficit, needy, recipient under the link under discussion, the Krishna basin, every year transfers about 120 TMC water to high rainfall Konkan area through Tata and Koyna dams and further down to sea[11]! And that water profligacy of Krishna basin is on display this year too! If we add the figure of virtual water export that Krishna basin does through its sugar production in Maharashtra and Karnataka, that figure would go up manifold. Under these circumstances, how can we describe Krishna basin as needy, needing water transfer from another basin?

This is not the first Godavari Krishna River Link (GKRL) The media described this pumping of water through Pattiseema as the first Interlinking of Rivers and Mr Naidu called it first confluence of Godavari and Krishna waters. In reality this is the third interlinking between Godavari and Krishna in Andhra Pradesh alone. The first GKRL happened during British period, about 160 years ago when the two rivers were linked for navigation. As the Times of India[12] reports: “The Eluru canals from Godavari and Krishna meet at Malkapuram village to form part of the Kakinada-Pondicherry Buckingham canal.” About the second GKRL link, Dr D Narasimha Raddy wrote to me, “A 18-km pipeline connecting effluents collected in Manjeera basin, a tributary of R. Godavari, links with River Musi, a tributary of R. Krishna.” So what Mr Naidu inaugurated on Sept 16, 2015 is possibly the third Godavari Krishna link in Andhra Pradesh, not the first.

In addition, as comment to this blog from JPGL pointed out, there are several schemes in Telangana pumping water from Godavari basin to Krishna basin: “There are already four working lift water schemes in Telangana state transferring Godavari or its tributary (Manjira) water to the Krishna basin. These are Manjira water supply to Hyderabad located in Musi/ Krishna basin, irrigation water supply from Sriram Sagar reservoir across Godavari to Musi, etc tributary basins of Krishna river, Hyderadad drinking water supply from Yellampalli barrage across Godavari and irrigation water supply from Devadula lift irrigation scheme from Godavari river to Musi, etc tributary basins of Krishna river. In addition there are four more lift irrigation schemes under implementation such as Pranahita Chevella lift irrigation scheme, Kanthalapalli lift irrigation scheme, Rajiv Dummugudem lift irrigation scheme, Indirasagar Rudrammakota lift irrigation scheme, etc in Telangana to transfer/lift water from Godavari river for high lands irrigation in the Krishna basin.”

So clearly there are multiple other schemes already doing what Pattiseema has started down on Sept 16, now abandoned due to the breach in the canal.

The Interstate ramifications Since Godavari and Krishna are interstate rivers, any water transfer between the two rivers is bound to have interstate ramifications. Firstly, the Krishna Water Tribunal has directed that out of 80 TMC water that is to be transferred from Godavari to Krishna, Andhra Pradesh share is 45 TMC and rest is to be shared between Maharashtra and Karnataka. However, that was the situation before formation of Telanganga. Now with the bifurcation of AP, Telangana will also get a share of water from what AP was to get earlier. In fact petitions are pending in Supreme Court as to what should be the mandate of Krishna Tribunal in the aftermath of the bifurcation, whether KWDT should only decide distribution between AP and Telangana or should all four states be involved in fresh water sharing? In addition, there is the outstanding dispute related to the Polavaram Dam impact, involving Chhattisgarh, Orissa and now possibly Telananga. There are suits pending in the Supreme Court on these issues. Polavaram’s environment clearance also remains challenged and stands suspended by MoEF.

Incidentally, while the impacts and costs of the project will have to borne by Andhra Pradesh, the water transferred will have to be shared with the basin states, particularly since Andhra Pradesh did not share the project details with the basin states, nor got their consensus.

Pattiseema Googla Earth Map (Bhim Singh Rawat, SANDRP)
Pattiseema Googla Earth Map (Bhim Singh Rawat, SANDRP)
Why do sections of Andhra Pradesh polity see Pattiseema as wasteful expenditure? The Pattiseema project is to essentially pump about 80 TMC of water from Godavari to Krishna. This was one of the several other objectives of the Polavaram dam. Andhra Pradesh CM Naidu decided to implement Pattiseema considering the uncertainties related to Polavaram dam, there is question mark over if and when the Polavaram dam will come up. So the AP government took the unilateral decision to implement the Pattiseema project at a huge cost of Rs 1400 crores. When Polavaram project becomes a reality, Pattiseema will be redundant since the transfer will happen through gravity by the Polavaram dam and pumping will no longer be required. This is why there is opposition to Pattiseema among many in AP, as wasteful expenditure. Many also see it as a Naidu’s ploy to get credit for the water transfer that was already happening through Polavaram.

As The Hindu reported on Sept 25, 2015, “But both YSRC and Congress kept accusing the Government of squandering a whopping Rs. 1500 crore on an “ill-conceived temporary project”, while deceiving the people of West and East Godavari districts. Both parties had a point in that the project would become redundant once the Polavaram project is built. The YSRC, besides questioning the long-term utility of the project, had alleged large-scale corruption in the allotment of contracts.”

Moreover, the farmers in the Godavari basin have been objecting to the water diversion scheme ever since its conception by the TDP government, claiming it will impact their future. People of Nallajarla and Gopalapuram which fall under the Tadipudi Lift Scheme staged a demonstration at Guddigudem[13].

The Leakage in the Transfer! The hurriedly inaugurated water transfer has already “received a big jolt within hours after launching the motors”, as the Polavaram Right Bank canal has already developed massive leaks[14] at Janampet village where Tammileru river crosses the canal. The leakage is so massive that the Pattiseema pump & Godavari Krishna water transfer have been stopped so that the damaged canal can be repaired. An aqua-duct constructed at an expense of Rs 15 crores has breached, leading to damages and stoppage of water transfer, see the map prepared by SANDRP. “We have been suspecting the danger as we were not allowed to work as per the rule book. The breach is the result of completing the work without giving proper time for curing,” said an engineer of water resources department. With the Naidu government insisting to be the first to link the rivers as part of National River Linking Scheme, the officials raced ahead of time and rolled out the project with half or partially-dug canal work. The engineers could finish the digging of canal just for about 20 metres width against the original design of 80 metres width along 174 km long canal.[15]. The repairs could take 2-4 weeks.[16]

Even a pro ILR editorial[17] in the Pioneer accepted: “Finally, it goes without saying that the Government itself must do its homework properly, including thorough environmental assessments and financial calculations, and then ensure proper implementation. A poorly constructed aqueduct in the Godavari-Krishna link, for example, breached within hours of the motor pump being turned on. This should not become the norm.” The trouble is, lack of thorough Environmental Impact Assessment, manipulated economic, hydrological and financial calculations and corruption ridden and poor construction are the norms.

This shows that Pattiseema project was hurriedly inaugurated when neither the Pattiseema pumps were available, nor the link canal was ready, the whole thing was a misleading show!

Godavari Krishna Breach map by Bhim Singh Rawant (SANDRP)
Godavari Krishna Breach map by Bhim Singh Rawant (SANDRP)
In Conclusion While it is possible that such a water transfer could help Krishna Delta for now when almost all of the reservoirs in the Basin in Andhra had low water shortage, we cannot afford to sideline the reality that a project has been constructed, completed and celebrated in full public glare, without going through the statutory process and obtaining required clearances. We also need to note the consequences of undue hurry, the full ramifications of which are still unfolding. Moreover, there are serious question marks over the justification of transfer of water from a basin that is drought stricken to a basin from where more water is being transferred to high rainfall area and sea than what this transfer at best can achieve.

Such dramatic quick fixes are easy to appreciate and appear as if they are a result of courageous and prompt decision making from the highest quarters. However, such one-sided decisions and projects which bypass the laws of the land and bypass objective & informed scrutiny & democratic process do not bode well for the future of the nation or future of water resources in India.

Himanshu Thakkar (ht.sandrp@gmail.com), SANDRP

———————

ANNEXURE 1:

Letter to MoEF that Pattiseema project violates EPA and EIA notification

September 17, 2015

To

Shri Prakash Javdekar
Minister of State of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (IC),

Union Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change,

Paryavaran Bhawan, Jor Bagh,

Delhi 110003

pjavadekar@gmail.com

Shri Ashok Lavasa
Secretary,

Union Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change,

Paryavaran Bhawan, Jor Bagh,

Delhi 110003

ashoklavasa@gmail.com

Chairman and Members,
Expert Appraisal Committee on River Valley Projects,

Union Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change,

Paryavaran Bhawan, Jor Bagh,

Delhi 110003

Respected Shri Javdekar, Shri Lavasa, Chairman and Members of EAC,

As you might have seen from extensive media coverage, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh yesterday inaugurated the Godavari Krishna link through Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Project. This Pattiseema Project involves building of a lift irrigation project on the river bed and banks of the Godavari River at Pattiseema, about 15 km downstream of the Proposed Polavaram Dam site, in addition to a canal of around 5 km length to take the lifted water to the existing Polavaram Right Bank Canal. It involved 30 Nos of Vertical Turbine pumps, each of 8 cumecs (Cubic Meters per Second) capacity. As the Minister of Andhra Pradesh Water Resources Department Shri D Uma Maheshwara Rao said in media reports, this involved removing about 1.3 crore cubic meters of sand from the Godavari River Bed[18] (such dredging also needs Environment Clearance). The kind of work involved in this project can also be seen from the photo album of the project put up on the AP Irrigation Dept website[19].

What is clear from all this is that Pattiseema is a major new irrigation project with major components and impacts on the river and surrounding area. It was also not part of the Polavaram project. However, the project has not taken the environment clearance that is necessary for any such project, it has not conducted environment & social impact assessment & management plan, public consultations, has not gone through environment appraisal. Hence the whole project is in violation of the EPA 1986, EIA notification of Sept 2006 and illegal.

The AP govt GO dated January 1, 2015[20] gives some details of the project with cost of Rs 1300 crores, the cost has reportedly now gone up to 1400 crores. The GO misleadingly says that the Pattiseema project is for “domestic and industrial use” when in reality, as is apparent from the statements of the AP Chief Minister, Water Resources Minister and others, it is apparent that this is essentially for irrigation benefits for the Krishna Delta area. This is also clear from the fact that there are no details of how this water is to be used for domestic and industrial use, either in the GO or anywhere else including in the statements of the CM and others. This aspect has been added to mislead and possibly escape the EIA notification.

Section 84 of the AP Re-organisation Act, 2014 requires the AP and Telangana governments to get such projects involving the use of Godavari and Krishna waters duly appraised, among others, by the Central Water Commission (CWC), before they can be undertaken. Apparently, even this requirement stands infringed. Since the Pattiseema project involves Krishna and Godavari, both interstate rivers, it also needs CWC approval, in addition to getting the Techno-Economic approval from the Technical Advisory Committee of the CWC, which have also not been taken.

Under the circumstances a project has been constructed, completed and celebrated in full public glare, without going through the statutory process and obtaining the clearance. We urge you to issue notice to AP government for violation of the EIA notification and Environment Protection Act and take necessary legal steps in this regard.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Yours Sincerely,

EAS Sarma (former secretary, Govt. of India, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, eassarma@gmail.com)

Himanshu Thakkar (South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers & People, Delhi, ht.sandrp@gmail.com)

Lubna Sawath (Acting Convener, Save Our Urban  Lakes ,Hyderabad, sarwath.lubna@gmail.com)

Dr Sagari R Ramdas (Food Sovereignty Alliance, Hyderabad, sagari.ramdas@gmail.com)

K J Joy (Forum on Water Conflicts in India, Pune, joykjjoy2@gmail.com)

Shripad Dharmadhikary (Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, Pune, manthan.shripad@gmail.com)

END NOTES:

[1] http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Emotional-Naidu-flags-off-pavitra-sangam/articleshow/48992956.cms

[2] For example, the TOI report cited earlier said: “Naidu cracked open a coconut but in the second part of the ceremony at Pattiseema, could not switch on the first motor pump on river Godavari as the pumps were not ready.”

[3] http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vijayawada/Godavari-water-flows-thru-Nuzvid-mandal/articleshow/48897951.cms

[4] http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/polavaram-works-will-be-taken-up-with-double-speed-says-minister/article7655676.ece

[5] http://www.irrigation.ap.gov.in/files/1633.pdf

[6] http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Pattiseema-project-A-boon-or-bane/articleshow/47778441.cms

[7] http://goir.ap.gov.in/Reports.aspx search for irrigation department GO dated January 1, 2015.

[8] http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Emotional-Naidu-flags-off-pavitra-sangam/articleshow/48992956.cms

[9] http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/andhra_pradesh/Powering-Pattiseema-to-Cost-a-Bomb/2015/08/18/article2980375.ece

[10] See: https://sandrp.wordpress.com/2015/08/18/drought-and-marathwada-an-oft-repeated-tragedy/

[11] See for example: https://sandrp.wordpress.com/2015/08/07/as-krishna-bhima-basin-farmers-in-maharashtra-karnataka-ap-telangana-face-drought-crop-failure-water-scarcity-maharashtra-diverted-350-mcm-water-from-the-basin-literally-to-sea/, https://sandrp.wordpress.com/2015/08/18/open-letter-to-chief-minister-of-maharashtra-stop-westwards-diversion-of-water-from-krishna-basin/, https://sandrp.wordpress.com/2015/08/17/tata-power-responds-on-the-issue-of-tata-dams-diverting-water-from-drought-hit-bhima-krishna-basin-to-konkan-but-it-is-vacuous-insensitive-response/, https://sandrp.wordpress.com/2015/08/20/open-letter-to-tata-sustainability-group-to-stop-westward-diversion-of-bhima-basin-water-by-tata-hydro-projects/

[12] http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/How-Andhra-CM-linked-rivers-delinked-netas/articleshow/48992918.cms

[13] http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vijayawada/Godavari-water-flows-thru-Nuzvid-mandal/articleshow/48897951.cms

[14] http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vijayawada/Pattiseema-Lift-Irrigation-Scheme-scheme-receives-a-blow/articleshow/49046414.cms

[15] http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vijayawada/Pattiseema-Lift-Irrigation-Scheme-scheme-receives-a-blow/articleshow/49046414.cms

[16] http://www.deccanchronicle.com/150922/nation-current-affairs/article/water-release-be-delayed

[17] http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/edit/linking-rivers-and-futures.html

[18] http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/polavaram-works-will-be-taken-up-with-double-speed-says-minister/article7655676.ece

[19] http://www.irrigation.ap.gov.in/files/1633.pdf

[20] http://goir.ap.gov.in/Reports.aspx search for irrigation department GO dated January 1, 2015.

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ANDHRA PRADESH CHANDRABABU NAIDU ENVIRONMENT IMPACT ASSESSMENT ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCE GODAVARI INTER LINKING OF RIVERS KARNATAKA KOYNA KRISHNA MAHARASHTRA PATTISEEMA POLAVARAM RAYALSEEMA TATA TELANGANA VIJAYWADA
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23 thoughts on “Godavari Krishna River Linking: Are we celebrating an illegal, unnecessary & misconceived water transfer project?”

Bilavath Dhenuka Naik
SEPTEMBER 25, 2015 AT 3:23 PM
How can a people’s representative and so called CM of the state, blindly say , that he has liked two rivers by just transporting the water, where already constricted canals . It is a share on him, that he is continuing his false propaganda.

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telugu man
SEPTEMBER 25, 2015 AT 7:28 PM
He is always a liar. He came to power by promising all farm loans would be waived all dwacra loans would be waived job for every house pensions for all unemployment allowance for all and so on. But so far not even one is even 10% fulfilled but going on propagandising that he already implemented loan waiver. He even threated the people through two ministers to take lands of poor and middle class farmers in the name of capital. He even resorted to torching of farms and also kidnaps to threatedn farmers. Now doing all dramas about even special status which was promised by this liar and Modi in meeting after meeting , but now both are silent and when opposition leader is trying to take the issue he is being denied permission to do dharnas.

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vavilala subbarao
JULY 18, 2016 AT 10:14 AM
It is not false propaganda my dear. The finisher is finisher whr the perfect pattisima canal is not constructed when he started all works for pattiseema. Plz don’t blame our CM he good and striving for AP if you have heart you can congratulate him for his wonderful job done..

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jpgl
SEPTEMBER 25, 2015 AT 5:16 PM
Pattiseema project is truly interlinking rivers between Godavari and Krishna main rivers. The navigation link using the Prakasam / Krishna barrage irrigation canal (Eluru canal joining Kolleru lake across Tammileru river) and Cotton / Godavari barrage canal joining Kolleru lake were used as the boats can travel in upstream direction in the canals. Actually the canals used for navigation are feeding / out flowing in to the Kolleru lake. Godavari water can not flow to Krishna river or vice versa with these canals constructed more than 100 years back.
There are already four working lift water schemes in Telangana state transferring Godavari or its tributary (Manjira) water to the Krishna basin. These are Manjira water supply to Hyderabad located in Musi/ Krishna basin, irrigation water supply from Sriram Sagar reservoir across Godavari to Musi, etc tributary basins of Krishna river, Hyderadad drinking water supply from Yellampalli barrage across Godavari and irrigation water supply from Devadula lift irrigation scheme from Godavari river to Musi, etc tributary basins of Krishna river. In addition there are four more lift irrigation schemes under implementation such as Pranahita Chevella lift irrigation scheme, Kanthalapalli lift irrigation scheme, Rajiv Dummugudem lift irrigation scheme, Indirasagar Rudrammakota lift irrigation scheme, etc in Telangana to transfer/lift water from Godavari river for high lands irrigation in the Krishna basin.

All above schemes are not transferring water from main Godavari river to main Krishna river except the the Pattiseema lift scheme which is a supplementary project of ongoing Polavaram Project. Pattiseema lift project is not a temporary project till the Polavaram barrage/dam is constructed. The live storage capacity of Polavaram reservoir is only 75.2 tmc above canal’s full supply level of 41.15 m MSL out of gross storage 194 tmcft. The live storage is adequate to meet all the water needs of Polavaram project and downstream Cotton barrage needs not more than two months duration after the monsoon season (end of September). With the Pattiseema lift nearly 100 tmc of dead storage above the crest level/ MDDL of power house can also be used every year for three more months.

Regarding sharing water out of the 80 tmc water transfer from Polavaram reservoir, Karnataka and Maharashtra states are entitled to use 35 tmc water of unallocated surplus water from Krishna river once the CWC recommends the project for implementation to the Government which was done in the year 2009 itself. There is no need of completing the Polavaram project to actually transfer the Godavari water to the Krishna river. There is no discussion on this valid agreement among the riparian states in the disputed tribunal award of Justice Brijesh Kumar (KWDT2) as it seemed to have negated this agreement and allotted 93% of the total water available in the Krishna river without sparing required average yearly environmental flows and salt export water needs.

In case water is exported to the Krishna river basin from other river basins (Godavari, Mandovi, Netravati, etc), the ongoing going Bachawat tribunal award (KWDT1) stipulates that no state is barred from raising water dispute or right to contest the other state claims under interstate river waters dispute act. When an upstream riparian state imports water from other states, the salt load in the river basin is enhanced by the amount of dissolved salts present in the imported water. When all the imported water is used / evaporotranspirated in the upstream state, the salinity/alkalinity of the water is enhanced in the river water received from upstream states by the the downstream states (particularly last riparian state) which is not suitable for use/ not of equal use similar to water quality available in upstream states. If new state Telangana is eligible for water share out of 80 tmc water from Polavaram link, AP state is also eligible for nearly 40% of Godavari water transfer to the Krishna basin area taking place from the commissioned and future projects. Otherwise, the Krishna river water available in its area will be of inferior quality reducing its productive value in agriculture and domestic uses.

The gist is that Pattiseema is not a temporary project as claimed by the politicians and is the first true inter link between Godavari and Krishna main rivers. The water sharing of transferred Godavari water by the riparian states are to be implemented by the central government as per the Interstate river waters dispute act by creating a empowered Bachawat tribunal award (KWDT1) implementation board . Otherwise Andhra Pradesh state is the main looser as it can not stop excessive / unallocated Krishna river water use by the upstream states in a river basin with regular water scarcity.

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Himanshu Thakkar
SEPTEMBER 25, 2015 AT 6:54 PM
Many thanks, Mr JPGL, your comments as usual are very informative and useful. I have added the information about the existing and planned Godavari-Krishna links in Telangana from your comments to the blog, referring to your comment.

If you know such links also existing/ planned (one scheme that is planned in Krishna Marathwada LIS, but that has not yet got the sanction from the Krishna Tribunal, Krishna Tribunal has expressly prohibited it) in Maharashtra, let us know.

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jpgl
SEPTEMBER 25, 2015 AT 8:25 PM
I am not against importing water from other river basins to a river basin which is facing water shortage in any state but not at the cost of other states benefits. The trend is that no state cares to bother the central laws or central government, other states and supreme court verdicts, while using available river waters within its reach including for irrigation use.

India is going to achieve water security along with energy security by harnessing unlimited solar power which has become cheaper than all other methods of electricity generation without contributing much pollution. Once electricity is surplus and affordable, pumping water by 600 meters height ( 2 units power consumption per cubic meter) is not a problem in future. Nearly 200 billion cubic meters of surplus water is joining sea from the coastal rivers of Western Ghats located in Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra. For more data refer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_policy_of_India https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity_sector_in_India https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollution_of_the_Ganges#Ganga_Manthan

Initially the water stored in the reservoirs of the existing hydro power stations of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala located in western ghats are the lucrative options/possibilities to transfer by lift canals / tunnels to the east flowing rivers like Kavery, Vaigai, Krishna, Godavari rivers, etc for the uplands irrigation in Tamilnadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra states. Later most of the rivers water available up to sea level can be pumped to the east flowing peninsular rivers with more pumping head (up to 600 m height). In India, 98% cultivable land and 95% of population are located below 600 meters elevation.

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jpgl
SEPTEMBER 25, 2015 AT 11:24 PM
There are many rivers interlinking already executed in India. Some are:
Orissa is diverting Harabhangi tributary of Vamsadhara river to Rushikulya river in Orissa effecting downstream AP state.
Orissa is diverting Indravathi tributary of Godavari river to Tel tributary of Mahanadi river basin.
Andhra Pradesh is diverting water from Tungabhadra reservoir across Tungabhadra tributary of Krishna river to Penna river basin.
Andhra Pradesh is diverting water from Tungabhadra tributary of Krishna river to Penna basin.by KC canal.
Andhra Pradesh is diverting Krishna river water from Srisailam reservoir to Penna basin.by Pothireddypadu deep cut canal.
Andhra Pradesh is diverting Krishna river water to Penna and other medium coastal river basins.in Andhra Pradesh by Handri Neeva lift canal.
Tamilnadu is diverting Periyar river in Kerala to Vagai basin.in Tamilnadu
Andhra Pradesh is diverting Krishna river water from Srisailam reservoir to Channai drinking water needs via Penna and other coastal rivers.
Karnatake is diverting Kavery river water for Bengaluru city drinking water needs.
Andhra Pradesh is executing diversion of Krishna river water from Srisailam reservoir to Gundlakamma river basin.through tunnels.
Andhra Pradesh is planning to divert Krishna river water from Nagarjunasagar reservoir by extending its right bank canal up to Kandaleru reservoir to transfer water to many coastal rivers including Penna river. This link is termed as true link between Krishna and Penna rivers
NWDA Proposed Krishna to Penna river link from Almatti reservoir via Tungabhadra reservoir.
Maharashtra is planning to divert water of Gosikund reservoir across tributary Wainganga of Godavari river to Tapti basin in Maharashtra.
Karnataka planning to divert water from tributary Vedavati of Krishna river to Palar river basin in Karnataka
All the barrages/dams on big and medium rivers in coastal areas are water diversion canal schemes to transfer water to the adjacent medium and minor coastal rivers in all coastal states.

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MALLIKARJUNA SHARMA
SEPTEMBER 25, 2015 AT 7:08 PM
I think Pattiseema project was temporarily devised to defeat the delays in the sanctioning of permissions to the main Polavaram Project which may take years and is enmeshed in legal controversies up to the level of the Supreme Court. For lifting water from obviously waters inside Andhra Pradesh and transporting/transferring those waters to some other point in Andhra Pradesh only to link to the Polavaram right canal from that point may not involve such delays and legal controversies, hopefully. Of course, if successful, it will also fetch mileage to the current government. All these considerations should have gone into starting and pushing for completion of this project at the earliest. Of course, motives of corruption and moneymaking are also there in every project in India.

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R. Jagadiswara Rao
SEPTEMBER 25, 2015 AT 10:09 PM
Dear Mr. Himanshu,

The real intention of the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh in grounding the Pattiseema Project appears to make available 80 TMCFt/year of water for domestic, industrial and other uses on a permanent basis for use in Amaravathi – the world-class new capital of Andhra Pradesh state he conceived in a 33,000- acre land with the expertise of Singapore.

Dr. R. Jagadiswara Rao
Professor of Geology Retired
Sri Venkateswara University
Tirupati, AP 517502
rjagadiswara@gmail.com

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YVN
SEPTEMBER 27, 2015 AT 12:17 PM
The Godavari is a water surplus basin downstream as opposed to upstream unlike the Krishna which is reverse. So there is no problem in lifting 8500 cusecs of water in the monsoon and diverting it to the Krishna. The power used is also negligible compared to the huge lifts being constructed in Telangana and Rayalaseema. The govt. should construct another scheme for the left canal also.

What I object is the manner in which the scheme was constructed in a hurried manner for cheap publicity. In fact not even one cusec of water reached the Budameru diversion channel as construction of the Polavaram canal is still in progress. You can see pictures of the canal on the Hindu website. What they did was emptied a tank and as rains were there , the Budameru was also in flow and they just hyped it to the media and the national media bought it up. If one follows the Pattiseema project right from the beginning it reeks of corruption as the govt. promised to give 21% excess if they completed within one year. The cost for similar pumping schemes is only Rs,700-800 cr as opposed to the Rs.1300 cr for which tenders were called.
Corruption in irrigation is so much easier as the people are willing to forgive.

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jpgl
SEPTEMBER 27, 2015 AT 3:27 PM
It is as usual that ultimately ruling party has to bear the blame for the failure of the engineers. The aqueduct which is not part of Pattiseema lift failed because the end spans are left as cantilevers and just resting on filled up soil of the canal. The end wall of the aqueduct were not constructed at the both ends of the temporary aqueduct. With a good and appreciable intention, AP govt wanted to commission the right bank canal by temporary stop gap measures wherever structures and canal stretch is not existing. Govt. wanted earlier partial commissioning of the canal within 6 months such that 8500 cusecs (original 17,500 cusecs) can be pumped from the Godavari river to Krishna river to provide some relief (20 to 30 tmc water to Krishna basin) in the unprecedented water scarcity experienced in this year.

Pattiseema project was awarded in a Swis challenge type open tendering with pre-notified terms and conditions. The terms include a additional payment (15%) for completing the project earlier (within one year) than the normal period of completion specified in the contract. If another contractor is ready to execute the contract cheaper, he could have contested/claimed the contract but nobody came forward. Earlier contracts execution durations are repeatedly extended by citing various delays and engineers in charge of the works also happily recommend cost escalations as genuine and justified. Polavaram right bank is one of such example which was started nearly 10 years ago but not completed even wherever there is no land acquisition litigations. Engineers and the revenue officials extend all the cooperation to the contractors in delaying the works completion. They allow the contractor to take up first the earth works where profit margin is good to the contractor and not the long time consuming structures like aqueducts and under passes, etc. Chief Engineers/ secretaries do not insist for a detailed project schedule and do not bother to monitor the critical items execution which needs expertise, adequate construction machinery and time.

Everybody certifies element of corruption but do not give even a prime fascia evidence. When government takes up some works with good intention and pursued the works with close monitoring, it can not be blamed by the neutral observers for the design / engineering failure on the part of engineers.

I agree that a similar pumping station is needed (like Pattiseema lift) for the Polavaram left bank canal also.

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Rajesh
NOVEMBER 10, 2015 AT 6:33 AM
JPGL
It is the Government’s job to ensure that engineers do the right thing. When government’s take credit for success, they should take responsibility for failures.
What is the qualification of the Minister for Irrigation and his background? Need I say more.
Who is the contractor for the project? For the blind, deaf and those who favour their caste, nothing is evident or obvious.

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VN
SEPTEMBER 28, 2015 AT 12:56 PM
Dear Himanshu,

This is in response to your article on the Pattiseema river linking on your SANDRP website. Unfortunately there are some factual discrepancies in your article and along with that I would also like to make some of my views known on the Polavaram dam issue.

The Godavari river is water surplus in the downstream part and water deficit in its upper reaches. It is surplus only after the Pranahita, Indravati and Sabari join it. In Marathwada and Western Telangana it is water deficit. Even in the famous 1986 flood which is supposed to be India’s largest recorded flood of 36,00,000 cusecs the Sriramsagar dam was not filled. Thus diverting 8500 cusecs for the right canal and an additional 8500 for the left canal will not make a difference due to the flow.
The whole reason why Polavaram is vehemently supported by a large number of people in AP is because it will supply water to the Krishna delta, and an additional 7.2 lakh acres including 23 TMC to Visakhapatnam. Currently the Krishna delta gets 80 TMC of water from Nagarjunasagar and in the Bachawat tribunal this water was supposed to be transferred from Polavaram. Of the 80 TMC 35 TMC will go to Karnataka and Maharashtra. Telangana is also demanding a share. So Rayalaseema will benefit but only to a small extant of about 25 TMC but even that is much better than nothing. That is why Dummugudem – Pulichintala or NSP tailpond project is also needed. It will save about 50 TMC from the NSP left canal and make the Palamur lift in Mahbubnagar and other projects in Rayalaseema viable.

This year for the first time in 158 years more than 4 lakh acres of the Krishna delta has been left fallow. So if Pattiseema is completed then there will be no problem.
The Krishna is a dead river and due to many illegal projects in Maharashtra and Karnataka AP is not getting its due share of water. The KWDT 2 has allowed Karnataka to increase the height of the Almatti dam increasing its capacity to 300 TMC. If this is completed then AP will not get water until the beginning of October by which more than half of the Kharif season will be completed. Thus by relieving the Krishna delta water can be diverted from Srisailam to the perennially drought prone areas of Rayalaseema and Telangana.But the AP govt has to complete the pending works on the Pothireddipadu diversion channel which it has not even touched now. Unless those works are not completed, Rayalaseema will not benefit.
I agree that a lot of water is wasted for power generation into the sea at Koyna and Tata water projects. Koyna generates 1960 MW only at peaking times for Mumbai and it would be very difficult for us to stop it as the KWDT 2 has increased its allocation by another 25 TMC. We all need to stop this diversion for the benefit of the drought prone areas of interior Maharashtra.
The Pattiseema lift is a much better alternative than the Polavaram dam. If fact it is a boon to the opponents of the dam as when the objective of river linking has been met what is the need for a dam that costs so much and displaces more than 2.5 lakh people. The Polavaram dam is a terminal dam and needs to be built last after all upstream dams are built to avoid sedimentation and prolong its life. Its live capacity would be silted up withing 25 years if the siltation rates at Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar are taken. Srisailam lost 104 TMC in 28 years and Nagarjunasagar lost about 140 TMC since it has been built. But at Polavaram the Godavari carries 10 times as much sediment than at Srisailam. What is the need to spend more than Rs.7000 cr on a dam and an additional Rs.7000 cr on rehabilitation and resettlement ? K.L.Rao opposed the dam after the 1953 flood and felt that there was no suitable site for a dam and preferred a barrage. T.Hanumantha rao gave a suggestion to build barrages that would help minimize displacement and also help both Telangana and AP, but the govt is not too keen as building a dam is more lucrative for them.
The cost of power is not much when compared to the other lift schemes in Telangana. It would not even cross the power consumption of farmers in the ayacut area. The cost would be much lesser than the interest payment of the dam.
The reason why the govt is pushing for a dam is that the flows of the Godavari drastically decrease after October to around 40000 cusecs or lesser. As Telangana is building lift schemes upstream it would be difficult to even save the first crop forget the second.Also the second crop in the Godavari delta is the most preferred crop due to high yeilds and also to prevent salt water ingress into the delta. Even though Pattiseema will not solve these problems a series of barrages on the Godavari and Sabari along with supplementation for the Rabi crop from the Sileru hydro projects as is being done now will make Polavaram redundant.

This is just a brief of the reasons why Pattiseema is not bad, but I totally agree with your viewpoint of the massive corruption. If the govt cannot build an aqueduct that can carry 500 cusecs how can we trust it to build an earth cum rockfill dam on a river that has seen India’s largest recorded flood?

Regarding why no other contractor has come forward everyone knows how the process was rigged. Most of the Polavaram project canals have been finished but only parts where the govt has not paid the contractors have been held up. Only after it has been declared as a national project has work speeded up.

The canal near Vijayawada has not been completed and it was all a hogwash that they wanted to give water this year. Its all just show and eventually the govt’s reputation got damaged due to the Janampeta incident. Also a tank was breached and its water was diverted to the Budameru diversion channel on the day of the opening.

Thanking You

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jpgl
SEPTEMBER 28, 2015 AT 7:34 PM
Maharashtra is opposing to raise the Pranahita Chevella Project barrage which is being actively pursued by Telangana. In fact, construction of this barrage with maximum possible storage capacity, is very crucial to Maharashtra’s interests. This is the closest location from the water surplus portion of the Godavari, to transfer water to the regularly water stressed Marathwada region via Sriramsagar reservoir.
Earlier in the Babli barrage dispute, Maharashtra claimed that it has right to use the water available in the Sriramsagar reservoir as per the agreement dated 06.10.1975 of Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal and Supreme Court upheld the claim of Maharashtra.
Additionally, lift irrigation schemes can also be taken up on Left bank side of the Pranhita barrage for irrigation in Vidharba region of Maharashtra. for more data, refer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pranahita_Chevella_lift_irrigation_scheme

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yarlagaddavrao
FEBRUARY 21, 2016 AT 7:23 PM
Your statement of Polavaram canal being incomplete due to non-payment of contractor is incorrect. A few farmers were unhappy with the compensation offered and have approached HC and obtained a stay order. This is why canal works have got stalled and left incomplete.

Secondly, it is not the aqueduct which got breached. There was a temporary slab poured on the unlined canal bed to bridge the aqueduct and the canal. This temporary slab is not supported by any concrete structure beneath. It is designed that way as a temporary structure.. It is this temporary structure which gave it, not the aqueduct.

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k. Venkateswara Sastry
JANUARY 1, 2017 AT 6:15 PM
It is surprising that why so much of noise is being made by other parties and states which are on upstream. This patti seems project is constructed at the down stream of Godavary river which has no other dam till the river meets the Sea. Thus they are recovering water which is going to sea as a waste. If any one makes noise in Upstream of Godavary, it is some thing like making noise by a tiger drinking water at up stream with a Goat which is drinking water at down stream. This is a plan by tiger to eat that goat saying that it ( tiger) is getting water that is tasted by goat which is absurd.
It is for the future of the new Andhra pradesh state.
Venkateswara Sastry

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yarlagaddavrao
SEPTEMBER 29, 2015 AT 1:27 AM
I should say extremely poor research by the author. Interlinking of Godavari & Krishna rivers thru Polavaram project has already received EIA/EMP approvals long ago. There has been extensive communication between state government & Environment ministry regarding the environmental impact before the approval was given. Author fails to articulate what are the new variants Pattiseema brings to the discussion regarding transfer of water on the same Polavaram canal for which EIA/EMP approvals have already been obtained.

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yarlagaddavrao
SEPTEMBER 29, 2015 AT 1:33 AM
Author also makes an extremely ridiculous argument of Krishna basin transferring 120TMC to Konkan basin. How is this even remotely applicable for Pattiseema discussion? Does the author fail to understand that westward diversion of Krishna waters has been allowed Bachawat tribunal itself in 70s?

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Rajesh
NOVEMBER 10, 2015 AT 6:37 AM
The author has published the facts which may not be to the liking of the caste riddled brains of pseudo intellectuals from Andhra Pradesh.

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Fair Nation
FEBRUARY 21, 2016 AT 9:07 AM
I am just a lay man for this subject, but I can clearly see prejudice in your article.
Everyone knows when we can complete Polavaram project with those budget allocations. A temporary solution is wise decision and I appreciate everyone involved in the project.

Please don’t bring those so called environmental approvals into serious public discussions, they haven’t achieved anything in India and they don’t have any credit to be mentioned in public.

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test
JULY 26, 2016 AT 12:48 PM
Read your blog post on Pattiseema. Presently, the project is in good working condition and meeting the requirements it has been intended for as I gather from media reports. Need your views on the Project based on the current situation

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Arunachalam A
JUNE 3, 2017 AT 9:08 PM
For every development project, there is always opposition, from other parties to show the ruling party in low light. This article is based on politics.

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