Prepare Report On Polavaram Project's Impact: CM

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy today held a meeting with senior officials from the irrigation department and instructed them to collaborate with IIT Hyderabad to prepare a comprehensive report on the impact of the Polavaram project on Telangana, especially on the historic Bhadrachalam temple.

He also directed that a special officer be appointed to coordinate with the IIT team.

The project was designed to help control floods in the Godavari basin. However, critics argue that the dam's backwater effects could exacerbate flooding in Bhadrachalam during extreme conditions. The officials briefed the Chief Minister that the temple town was submerged for that very reason during the 2022 floods, which saw a discharge of 27 lakh cusecs of water.

The CM also discussed the Godavari Banakacharla project being constructed by the Andhra Pradesh government. The officials informed him that the project lacked the necessary permissions, and highlighted a recent presentation by the AP government which raised concerns about the project's potential implications for Telangana's water interests.

Reddy instructed the officials to submit the Telangana government's objections to the AP government's Chief Secretary.

He also instructed the officials to send letters to the Godavari River Management Board and to the Union Jal Shakti Ministry if necessary, to protect Telangana's interests.

Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy and Government Advisor (Irrigation) Adityanath Das were also present at the meeting.