Central Panel Rejects Andhra Pradesh's Ambitious Rs 81,900 Crore Polavaram-Banakacherla Link Project Proposal—Here's Why

The Central Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) has rejected Andhra Pradesh’s ambitious Polavaram-Banakacherla Link Project (PBLP), citing legal, environmental, and interstate concerns, the New Indian Express reported.

The Rs 81,900-crore project, announced by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in 2024, aimed to divert 200 tonne million cubic feet (TMC) of Godavari floodwater from the Polavaram Dam to the drought-prone Rayalaseema region via the Banakacherla Regulator.

Despite its goal to address water scarcity and benefit over 3 lakh hectares of new ayacut, the EAC flagged multiple issues and returned the proposal.

This comes amid objections raised by Telangana over the project, claiming the proposal violated the 1980 Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (GWDT) Award, which mandates consultation with co-basin states.

The EAC noted that unresolved submergence issues in Odisha and Chhattisgarh from the main Polavaram project remain sub-judice.

The Committee also pointed to the Central Water Commission’s (CWC) 2018 report, which found no surplus water at Polavaram at 75 per cent dependability, contradicting Andhra’s claim that 2,000 to 3,000 TMC of floodwater flows unused into the sea annually.

The EAC instructed Andhra Pradesh to settle interstate disputes and obtain CWC clearance before reapplying.

Andhra’s Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu defended the project, asserting it only uses surplus water and benefits Rayalaseema.

“AP has full rights as a lower riparian state to utilise surplus Godavari water,” he said, calling Telangana’s objections “politically motivated.”

Telangana Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy countered that PBLP violated both the GWDT Award and the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, warning of submergence risks in Telangana and illegal procedural bypasses.

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