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AP to explore river linking possibilities
An integrated mapping of inter-basin river water transfer in Andhra Pradesh is on the anvil. Slowly, but steadily, the State government has been taking steps to map out its irrigation, drinking water and industrial needs and prepare sector-wise forecasting of water needs of the State.
The State is mulling an integrated mapping of inter-basin river water transfer
Hyderabad: An integrated mapping of inter-basin river water transfer in Andhra Pradesh is on the anvil. Slowly, but steadily, the State government has been taking steps to map out its irrigation, drinking water and industrial needs and prepare sector-wise forecasting of water needs of the State.
As part of this, the State government had already asked the irrigation officials to fast-track the right canal works of the multipurpose Polavaram Irrigation Project (PIP) to tap the flood waters of river Godvari in the ensuing rainy season.
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Completion of the Polavaram Right Canal (PRLC) works would give scope to the State government to lift the Godavari waters into Krishna basin on upstream of Prakasam barrage. The proactive mode of the State government on the PRCL has come against the background of Union government giving top priority to this inter-basin connectivity of Godavari-Krishna, as part of its larger plan of National River Linking Project (NRLP).
According to a senior irrigation official, “About Rs 100 crore has been lying there, and that is meant for the NRLP. Now, the Center has all set to put to use the amounts to speed up works of Mahanadi and Godavari linkage of peninsular river component of the NRLP.”
Next to the Mahanadi-Godavari, and apart from Polavaram to Krishna on upstream of Prakasam barrage at Vijayawada, there were four more linkages conceptualised to link Krishna with Penna river in Andhra Pradesh.
For the Union government, it would take a minimum three years’ time even to make a start on the remaining four linkages conceived in Andhra Pradesh, it wanted to go ahead with the linking Krishna and Penna rivers. However, much before the Center taking up this, the State government has already started looking out for ways and means of how the Krishna and Penna rivers could be linked, with a view to figure out how it would benefit in meeting the future water needs of the State.
According to State Irrigation Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao, “We are trying to find out the existing bottlenecks like different levels that stand in the way of taking water from one basin to another. We have been finding out ways and means to identify the hurdles.” The State has certain reservations on existing peninsular component of the NRLP.
It wants the Center to take up the first link of Ganga-Cauvery plan of the NRLP to achieve the prime objective of the NRLP. However, at the same time, Andhra Pradesh wants to explore the possibility of inter-basin transfer within the State. These efforts would be similar on the lines of the NRLP.
The State government also is expecting some kind of support to its efforts from the Centre.
BY: V R C Phaniharan
