Phase-1 on track, Andhra seeks govt nod for Polavaram Ph-2

THe Andhra Pradesh authorities is pushing for telephone exchange favorable reception for the endorse stage of the Polavaram major irrigation project on Godavari River, even as work on the first phase progresses at a brisk pace, officials familiar with the matter said.Secretary of Union Jal Sakthi ministry V L Kantha Rao on Friday held a high-level meeting with the state government officials in New Delhi to review the progress of works under the phase-I of the Polavaram project and discuss the issues related to the phase-II.Andhra Pradesh chief secretary G Sai Prasad, who is also in-charge of the state irrigation department, irrigation department advisor M Venkateswara Rao and engineer-in-chief Narasimha Murthy, besides senior officials from the central water commission, ministry of environment and forests, Polavaram Project Authority and representatives of various other related agencies attended the meeting.Under the phase-I of the project, water would be impounded in the reservoir up to the height of 41.15 metres with storage being limited to 115 tmc (thousand million cubic feet). The phase-II of the project will achieve a full reservoir level of 45.72 metres with a total storage capacity of 194.60 tmc.A senior official privy to the agenda of the meeting held by the Union Jal Sakthi secretary and the state government has informed the Centre that the phase-I of the project was going on at a brisk pace.“The diaphragm wall has already been completed, and work on the Earth-Cum-Rock-Fill (ECRF) dam has commenced. While the initial target for completion was set for June 2027, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu instructed the contracting agency to complete the works by March,” the official said, adding that the right main and left main canal works were also nearing completion.The government also informed the Centre that rehabilitation and resettlement of 38,060 displaced families within the 41.15-metre contour in Phase-I were nearing completion and they were being paid compensation.“Now, the state government is ready to submit the detailed project report for phase-II, which presents a larger rehabilitation challenge. Of the total 1,06,006 families identified for displacement in the second phase, compensation and rehabilitation measures were yet to be implemented for 67,946 families,” the official said.He said Kantha Rao called for clearly defined targets for land acquisition and time-bound monthly goals for rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) activities. “Full compensation and rehabilitation of all affected families up to the 45.72-metre contour must be completed prior to impoundment of water,” he said.Friday’s meeting also discussed the steps to be taken to resolve submergence-related concerns raised by neighbouring states, including Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana. “The Central Water Commission has been directed to conduct joint surveys with these states to address their objections and clarify the extent of potential submergence impacts,” the official said.In a reply to a query raised by an Right to Information activist Ravi Kumar Inaganti in March, the Union ministry of Jal Sakthi indicated that the cost of Polavaram project was revised at ₹30,436.95 crore with water storage up to +41.15 metres under phase-I including land acquisition and R&R works.“This project cost also includes all the civil works of the project up to +45.72 metres. It does mean, the dam and canal works would be ready for the second phase, too, but water would be impounded only up to 41.15 metres. For the second phase, it requires additional expenditure to cover land acquisition and R&R costs,” Inaganti said.As per the revised estimates at 2017-18 rates, the total cost of the Polavaram project would be ₹47,725.74 crore which includes cost of R&R up to 45.72 metres, he said, quoting the reply from the government. “The state government will have to submit a fresh detailed project report for the second phase after the completion of the CWC survey,” he added.