Polavaram Dam [UPSC Notes]

The Polavaram Project is a multi-purpose major terminal reservoir project on river Godavari for the development of irrigation, hydropower and drinking water facilities to the East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, West Godavari and Krishna Districts of Andhra Pradesh. This topic is important for the UPSC exam geography section.

Polavaram Project

The Polavaram Project is an under-construction multi-purpose irrigation project on the Godavari River in the Eluru District and East Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh. The backwater spreads into parts of Chhattisgarh and Odisha States. The project has been accorded national project status by the Union Government in 2014 (under Section 90 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014).

• The project envisages the construction of a 2454m long Earth Cum Rock fill dam across the main river with a spillway of 1128.40 m with a capacity to discharge 50 lakhs cusecs of water.
• The project implements the Godavari-Krishna link under the Interlinking of Rivers project.
• The project will provide irrigation to 2.91 Lakh Hectares of land, generate 960 MW of hydro-power and provide drinking water to 28.5 lakh people in 540 villages and Visakhapatnam city. Diversion of 80 TMC of water to river Krishna through this project will be shared between Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra. 
• The central government formed the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) for the regulation and development of the project in 2014. 

Background of the Polavaram Project

• Polavaram project was first conceptualised in 1941 by the then Madras Presidency.
• In 1980, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, T. Anjaiah laid the foundation stone for the prestigious Polavaram project.
• In 2004, the then Chief Minister Y.S Rajshekhara Reddy performed Bhoomi Pooja for the project with an estimated cost of about 10152 cr. 
• After a decade, in 2014 the construction work of the main dam was started under the then CM N. Chandrababu Naidu. 
• In 2018, N. Chandrababu Naidu unveiled the first crest gate of the Polavaram Project.

Sometimes political hurdles, environmental issues, inter-state river water disputes and a lack of clarity between the Central and State Governments regarding the financing of the project have led to the delay of this prestigious project.

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