The Telangana government has expressed strong objection to the Andhra Pradesh government’s proposals to lift water from the Polavaram irrigation dead storage. Telangana State Irrigation Engineer-in-Chief (General) G Anil Kumar has written a letter to the Godavari Board and the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA).
Although the Polavaram Chief Engineer informed the PPA meeting held on April 8 that the lift irrigation works have been stopped, the letter alleged that AP has made preparations to lift water from the Polavaram dead storage in this financial year itself. He explained that this project is being undertaken without the permission of the Central Water Commission (CWC).
He deplored that this will also harm the interests of the Godavari delta system and believes that mainly pumping water from the Polavaram dead storage is not an excuse. While the AP government has objected to the lack of water availability for every project undertaken by Telangana, the Telangana government has objected to how far it is reasonable for it to propose a new lift irrigation scheme from dead storage.
It was stated that undertaking lift irrigation from dead storage is against the guidelines and permissions of the CWC. The CWC has been requested to intervene immediately and stop Andhra Pradesh. It has requested that the Godavari River Management Board and the Polavaram Project Authority immediately intervene and stop AP from going ahead with this project.
On the other hand, Anil Kumar has written a letter to the Godavari River Management Board and the CWC Chairman to block the new proposals for the Godavari – Banakacherla Link Project.
He stated that the Telangana state government has already expressed its objection to the Godavari-Banakacharla link project, and that Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy and Irrigation Principal Secretary Rahul Bojja have expressed their views on this issue to the Union Ministry of Water Resources on several occasions.
He deplored the AP government ignoring the objections of the Telangana government. He has attached a copy of a news report published in a leading daily on the 22nd of this month stating that the Godavari-Banakacharla link project is being prepared with new proposals and budget estimates for the same.
