Latest news with #GodavariWaters
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Can't plan projects based on 'imaginary' floodwater: Expert
HYDERABAD: Former advisor to the Union jal shakti ministry, Sriram Vedire , on Tuesday said there is no legal or scientific basis for constructing irrigation projects based on the floodwater in the Godavari basin, calling the concept 'imaginary'. The statement of Vedire, who also served as the former chairman of the Task Force on Interlinking of Rivers, assumes significance in the context of the Andhra Pradesh govt's proposal to take up the Godavari-Banakacherla link project to utilise 200 TMC of supposed floodwaters. 'Such projects lack legitimacy. No project can be planned on imaginary floodwater,' he said while making a presentation on 'Godavari Waters: Facts and Figures – A Way Forward for Telugu States,' at a meet-the-press. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad 'There is no concept of floodwater in the country while giving clearance to irrigation projects by agencies implementing the river water-related laws. In case any water is referred to as floodwater, it is only imaginary and illusionary as no project is given clearance based on floodwater. The surplus water is the saving of water by a basin-state in its allocated share at 75% dependability,' he said. 'The central water commission has not recognised or measured floodwater as a category for utilisation in the Godavari basin or anywhere in India. The notion of floodwater going to waste is a misconception. The CWC allocates water based on 75% dependability, which ensures equitable distribution among co-basin states,' he further said.
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Banakacherla violates law, Icchampally beneficial for both States: Expert
HYDERABAD: Former adviser to Ministry of Jal Shakti and former chairman of the Task Force on Interlinking of Rivers Sriram Vedire has said that the Polavaram-Banakacherla project, proposed by the Andhra Pradesh government, was against the law of the land. He suggested that the Icchampally project, as proposed under interlinking of rivers, would be beneficial for both the states. At a 'Meet the Press' programme organised by Kappara Prasad Rao of Telangana Journalists Union on 'Godavari Waters: Facts and Figures — A Way Forward for Telugu States' here on Tuesday, Sriram said that the AP government proposed the Polavaram-Banakacherla project to utilise floodwaters. He, however, said that there was no concept of utilising floodwaters in the country till date. 'AP is saying that it will utilise floodwaters for Banakacherla. Floodwater is a mirage. It is not a fact. It is illusionary. The Central Water Commission (CWC) did not study floodwaters. There is no official word or sanctity given by the CWC to the concept of floodwaters in the country. The states have no right to plan projects on floodwaters,' he said. He recalled that nearly 50 per cent of the catchment area of Godavari was in Maharashtra. There would be no end if all the seven co-basin states started constructing projects based on floodwaters, he said. As per the available water, according to the 75 per cent dependability, AP had no right to construct the Banakacherla project, he said and recalled that the CWC sought the views of all the seven stakeholder states, besides the opinions of Polavaram Project Authority and Godavari River Management Board. Sriram said that there are no surplus waters at 75% dependability as clearly reported by the CWC and therefore no project is possible on surplus waters. The utilisation of average waters is not possible as per the law of the land. It is difficult to apportion the average waters amongst the co-basin states as projects with combination of 75% dependability and average flows will not blend together, he said. Based on these facts, the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) proposed the Godavari-Cauvery (G-C) link project at Icchampally by proposing to utilise the unutilised assured waters (at 75% dependability) of Chhattisgarh state. Going with this link plan is the best possible way for the states of Telangana and AP, Sriram said. This link project utilises the unutilised waters of Chhattisgarh and it would not touch the assured allocated waters of both the Telugu states. The responsibility to convince Chhattisgarh lies with the Central government. He said around 90% funding to this project is likely to come from the Centre and the remaining 10% from the beneficiary states. 'Through this link project, both Telangana and AP can utilise around 100 tmcft each,' Sriram added.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
There's no concept of clearing projects based on floodwaters, says MoJS ex-Advisor
HYDERABAD There is no concept of floodwaters in the country, particularly while giving clearance to irrigation projects by various agencies implementing the river water related laws, and in case any water is referred to with that term it is only imaginary and illusionary as no project is given clearance based on floodwaters. This was stated by former Advisor to the Ministry of Jal Shakti and former Chairman of the Task Force on Interlinking of Rivers Sriram Vedire here on Tuesday. In a presentation made on river water issues, particularly on 'Godavari Waters: Facts and Figures – A Way Forward for Telugu States', he stated that surplus water is saving of water by a basin-State in its allocated share at 75% dependability. He explained that the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal had categorised the water in the basin as 'all waters, remaining waters and specific numbers (waters)' — all translated as assured water by the Central Water Commission and the agency (CWC) had assessed the availability of 3,396.9 tmc ft water at 75% dependability, average flows at 4,535.1 tmc ft and the average water above 75% dependability at 1,138.2 tmc ft. The average flows of about 3,000 tmc ft into sea for the last 57 years being cited by Andhra Pradesh, which includes the availability of 1,138.2 tmc ft flows above 75% dependability was mainly due to non-utilisation of assured water by the basin States Chhattisgarh, Telangana (both about 400 tmc ft each), Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha (to some extent) and also due to spillovers due to their limitations in the storage capacity and other operational constraints, Mr. Sriram noted. As a result, the CWC's assessment of average flows of about 1,138 tmc ft above 75% dependability would not sanctify their utilisation by any basin State as the water flowing downstream, including into sea, could not be differentiated as assured water or average water since several projects operate with varying storage capacities and with different operational protocols, the former MoJS Advisor pointed out. On A.P.'s PBLP proposal Coming to the specific and contentious issue of A.P.'s proposal to take up Polavaram-Banakacherla Link Project to utilise floodwaters, he observed that if A.P. was allowed to go ahead with the project based on floodwaters for being the terminal State in the basin it would stir up a hornet's nest as every co-basin would go for new projects based on floodwaters. 'It will be an endless game if every State starts building projects using floodwaters,' he said. In case Chhattisgarh plans to utilise its share, it would have to be compensated in a different form or the Godavari-Cauvery Interlinking had to be reworked. He felt that more storage was required in the Godavari Basin for Telangana to utilise its share of water.
