BJD seeks to stop work on Andhra Pradesh’s Polavaram project: ‘Will submerge parts of Odisha’

As the design flood of the project has been revised to 50 lakh cusecs in 2006 compared to initial design flood capacity of 36 lakh cusecs approved by the CWC in 1970, the BJD alleged that the change in design flood was implemented without proper consultation with the affected states and not considering its impact on submergence levels.

“The CWC has refused to conduct a fresh backwater study for the revised design flood, despite the recommendations of experts and the Odisha government’s concerns regarding the safety of tribal populations and people of Malkangiri district,” said senior BJD leader Debiprasad Mishra.

Mishra said despite the need for a thorough examination of the backwater effect and its impact on Odisha, the state has not been consulted properly. The public hearing and consultation processes are also delayed inordinately even though the project would affect the safety and livelihood of several people in Odisha’s Malkangiri district, said the BJD leader.

The BJD used Polavaram project for political gain to target the successive governments at the Centre accusing them of not considering the interests of Odisha.

BJD sources said as many as 162 villages in Motu tehsil of the Malkangiri district are likely to be submerged when the project is commissioned fully.

The Polavaram project was conceived under the resolution of the Godavari Water Dispute Tribunal (GWDT) in 1980. As per the tribunal order, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha executed an agreement on April 2, 1980 to clear construction of the project with a full reservoir level of 150 feet and with a spillway discharging capacity of 36 lakh cusecs, which was later revised to 50 lakh cusecs.

According to the Andhra Pradesh State Reorganization Act (APRA), 2014, the Polavaram project was declared a national project which mandates that the Union government should execute the project and obtain all requisite clearances including environmental, forests and rehabilitation and resettlement norms. The Narendra Modi government in last year’s annual budget announced to finance the project and ensure its early completion.

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