NWDA meet on June 24 on Godavari-Cauvery interlinking project
The National Water Development Agency will hold the sixth consultation meeting here on June 24 to arrive at consensus for implementation of the Godavari (Inchampalli)-Cauvery (Grand Anicut) Link Project.
The meeting, called by the task force on interlinking of rivers, would be chaired by the Chairman of Central Water Commission (CWC), who is also the chairman of the task force on interlinking of rivers. It is expected to discuss several issues raised by Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on the Godavari-Cauvery link project.
While A.P. has expressed its willingness to take part in the project, Telangana has raised several objections. Telangana has been arguing that it could be taken up only after adjudication of Krishna water shares by the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal and has also strongly objected to the proposal to use Nagarjunasagar as the balancing reservoir stating that such a move would harm its interests in the long run.
Further, Telangana has been demanding clearances by the Centre to all its ongoing and contemplated projects based on the Godavari water and also an assurance from the Centre that the interlinking project would not harm its interests before taking up the Godavari-Cauvery link.
Telangana has reservations on the utilisation of 148 tmc ft of un-utilised water share of Chhattisgarh in Godavari since that State too could have future needs and also against taking up the interlinking from Inchampalli, Sammakkasagar or Indravathi river from Telangana, stating it would make flood control very difficult. In case water is diverted from Telangana the State should be given 51% share in the water drawn for the interlinking project.
On the other hand, A.P. has been suggesting that the Centre take up the interlinking from Polavaram and include Somasila reservoir too in the interlinking project. It also suggested construction of balancing reservoir to store 300 tmc ft of water at Bollapalli in the upstream of Polavaram, now planned as the balancing reservoir for the Polavaram (Godavari)-Banakacherla (Krishna) Link Project for which the State has recently secured assurance from the Centre to fund it.
Meanwhile, the Polavaram Project Authority has requested the CWC to take up drainage congestion study due to water storage at full reservoir level in Polavaram project in six major streams in Telangana — Turubakavagu, Yetapakavagu, Edullavagu, Peddavagu, Domalavagu, Kinnerasani and another local stream — and that it (PPA) would bear the costs associated with the survey. A.P. has plans to complete Polavaram by 2027.
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