Godavari and Krishna rivers interlink: When two rivers meet

On Wednesday, after flowing 124 km, water from the Godavari river in Andhra Pradesh reached the Krishna delta region, marking a milestone in the river-interlinking project.

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On September 15, the Godavari water, after flowing for 174 kms will reach Prakasam Barrage, the dam on river Krishna at Vijayawada.

The background

* 3,000 TMC of the Godavari’s flood waters flows into the Bay of Bengal every year. Successive Andhra Pradesh governments have been trying to harness at least 10 per cent of this water and divert some of it into the Krishna, whose delta faces an acute shortage of water for irrigation from June to August.

* While the plan is to eventually divert water from the Polavaram dam, since the dam is still under construction and will take at least 4 to 5 years to be ready, the Chandrababu Naidu government decided to divert Godavari water from the Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Scheme. This plan will kick off on September 16. For now, since September 1, the government has been carrying out a trial run, pumping water into the canal from the Tadipudi lift irrigation project of the Godavari. It’s this water that will enter the Krishna delta on September 15.

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The Pattiseema plan

Pattiseema is a village in Polavaram mandal of West Godavari district. 80 TMC of flood water from the Godavari at this point will be diverted into the Polavaram Right Main Canal, which is nearly complete up to Prakasam Barrage on river Krishna at Vijayawada, 174 km away.

But this water has to be lifted from the Godavari at Pattiseema and pumped to the Polavaram Right Main Canal, 3.9 km away.

* By next year, 24 vertical turbine pumps of 4,611 HP each will lift and pump the water through 12 rows of pipelines into the Polavaram canal. The flood in Godavari lasts until the last week of November. The 24 pumps will lift 8,500 cusecs of water, harnessing 80 TMC over a period of 108 days or until the Godavari flood lasts, according to V S Ramesh Babu, Chief Engineer, Pattiseema Project

* Rs 1,427 crore is the cost of the Pattiseema project, which was approved on January 1, 2015, and work on which began on February 23.

The gains

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* Of the 80 TMC of Godavari water, 10 TMC will be diverted to domestic and industrial users in major towns in Krishna and West Godavari districts. The remaining 70 TMC will be released for irrigation in Krishna and West Godavari districts, enough to irrigate 7 lakh acres of paddy fields

* 80 TMC of Godavari water in the Krishna delta means the pressure to supply water from river Krishna eases and the Krishna water can be saved and stored at Srisailam dam, from where it can be supplied to the drought-prone Rayalaseema region.

Inputs from Amitabh Sinha

Sreenivas Janyala

Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance. Expertise and Experience Regional Specialization: Based in Hyderabad, Sreenivas has spent more than 20 years documenting the evolution of the Telugu-speaking states. His reporting was foundational during the historic Telangana statehood movement and continues to track the post-bifurcation development of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Key Coverage Beats: His extensive portfolio covers a vast spectrum of critical issues: High-Stakes Politics: Comprehensive tracking of regional powerhouses (BRS, TDP, YSRCP, and Congress), electoral shifts, and the political careers of figures like K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and Jagan Mohan Reddy. Internal Security & Conflict: Authoritative reporting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the decline of the Maoist movement in former hotbeds, and intelligence-led investigations into regional security modules. Governance & Infrastructure: Detailed analysis of massive irrigation projects (like Kaleshwaram and Polavaram), capital city developments (Amaravati), and the implementation of state welfare schemes. Crisis & Health Reporting: Led the publication's ground-level coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in South India and major industrial incidents, such as the Vizag gas leak. Analytical Depth: Beyond daily news, Sreenivas is known for his "Explained" pieces that demystify complex regional disputes, such as river water sharing and judicial allocations between the sister states. ... Read More