Telangana: Polavaram backwater to inundate Bhadrachalam

Hyderabad: The Telangana government on Wednesday said the increased backwater level in Polavaram is likely to affect the Bhadrachalam district and its surrounding areas.

Attending a meeting of the Polavaram Project Authority, Telangana irrigation Engineer-in-Chief C Muralidhar, said that the backwaters could create a problem of local drainage congestion along the river banks and local streams such as Peddavagu, Edullavagu, Pamuleru vagu, Turubakavagu and 31 other major and medium streams causing loss and destruction in the areas in Telangana on either side of river Godavari.

“Backwaters from the project are inundating Bhadrachalam town and surrounding villages after heavy rains lashed the state in July this year,” he remarked. “The floods led to the inundation of 103 villages, submerging a total area of 40,446 acres,” the engineer said.

He further added that only pumping would help save the low-lying areas from being inundated. “Andhra Pradesh government had failed to demarcate the areas affected due to stagnation along Kinnersani and Murreduvagu which shall be undertaken on priority along with demarcation of the area affected due to similar issue in respect of 35 other streams,” Muralidhar added.

The engineer further alleged that AP had begun a lift irrigation project on dead storage of the Polavaram project. He accused the neighboring state of violating the restrictions laid by the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) and Central Water Commission (CWC) and approval of Apex Council