TThe ambitious plan of the Andhra Pradesh government to link the waters of Godavari and Krishna has become controversial.
Promoted by Prime Minister Chandrababu Naidu as a “change of play”, the Godavari-Banakacherla project aims to provide drinking water to 80 Lakh of people and guarantee an additional 7.5 Lakh of irrigation earth. It is estimated that ₹ 80,112 million rupees is expected and is expected to be completed in three years.
The Telangana government has protested against the project. According to the Reorganization Law of Andhra Pradesh, 2014, if any State wants to build a project in any river in these two states, it must inform the Godavari River Board and the Administration Board of the Krishna River, as well as the neighboring state . Telangana argues that Andhra Pradesh took the project without providing this information.
The division of water resources has been a source of friction between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh from the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014. Telangana, which is upstream, affirms its right to use waters of the Krishna river for projects such as Palamuru-Rangeddy Elevation irrigation scheme, while Andhra Pradesh believes that these initiatives are harmful to downstream and potentially affect projects such as Banakacherla. Both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana refer to the Reorganization Law of Andhra Pradesh, 2014, to present their case.
Remembering that the reorganization law establishes the allocation of water in terms of projects between the riverside states, the teaching of Telangana, Revanth Reddy, has also declared that its government would present a strong case before the Krishna Water Disputes Court for the Assignment of the Water Assignment of the Krishna River. To Telangana under Section 3 of the Water Disputes Law of the Interestatal River (ISRWDA), 1956. Telangan Section 3 of ISRWDA.
Perhaps waiting for such opposition, Mr. Naidu chose his words carefully while talking about the details of the project. He stressed that the Banakacherla project involved the “intra -state link of the rivers” and that the interconnected rivers is the responsibility of the Government of the Union. He argued that, as an aqueduct would be used to transfer waters from the Godavari to the Krishna, there may be no demands from other states of the Krishna river basin to share supplementation.
The project will be occupied in three segments. The first segment implies diverting water from the Polavaram project to the Krishna River. In the second segment, the government proposes to build the Bollapalli reservoir and transfer water. In the third segment, the water will deviate from Bollapalli to Banakacherla, which will be the entrance door to Rayalasema.
Mr. Naidu urged the Interior Minister of the Visiting Union, Amit Shah, on January 18 to help Andhra Pradesh to complete the project. He told the media that he had already discussed the project with the Minister of Finance of the Union, Nirmala Sitharaman, during his visit to Delhi last December. The ball is now in the court of the central government. If interstate water disputes are resolved, Andhra Pradesh can resume the project, which is important for the State and particularly for the areas prone to the drought of Rayalaseama.
The Andhra Pradesh government has said that a hybrid model would be adopted to complete the project and involve state and central financing and private associations. He clarified that the project will not be under private control and that the Government will “pay the annuity” to investors similar to the toll collected by road users. There are apprehensions that the annuity load will be transmitted to farmers. The government must clear the air on this issue before continuing with the project.
While the state government has embarked on this project, another 86 irrigation projects remain pending in Andhra Pradesh. The State in the Polavaram project, which is considered the life line of Andhra Pradesh, remains without being clear. If the work in the Banakacherla project begins, these pending projects, as well as the problems related to the Polavaram project, they are likely to be in the background. In the next three or four years, discussions will probably focus on the Banakacherla project.
subbarao.gavaravarapu@thehindu.co.in
Published – January 29, 2025 01:03 am ist