What prompted EAC to reject AP's Polavaram-Banakacherla Link Project proposal?

THE Polavaram-Banakacherla Link Project (PBLP), announced by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in 2024 during his second term, has sparked intense debate.

- S GURU SRIKANTH @ Vijayawada

Aimed at transforming the State's water landscape, the project seeks to divert 200 TMC of Godavari floodwater from the Polavaram Dam to the Banakacherla Regulator or Srisailam Right Main Canal.

However, the proposal has been returned by the Central Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC), amid legal, environmental, and interstate concerns. Telangana's objections and criticism from water resource experts, who call the project "beyond logic," have further fuelled the controversy.

The PBLP is a bold initiative to combat water scarcity in Andhra Pradesh, particularly in the drought-prone Rayalaseema region. Spanning 2,40,604 hectares across eight districts, including East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna and Rayalaseema, it involves expanding the Polavaram Right Main Canal's capacity from 17,500 to 38,000 cusecs, and the Thatipudi Lift Irrigation Scheme's canal from 1,400 to 10,000 cusecs.

A new reservoir at Bollapalli in Guntur district, supported by lift stations at Harischandrapuram, Lingapuram, Vyyandana, Gangireddypalem, and Nakirekallu, will channel water to Banakacherla and Veligonda reservoirs through a 19.5-km tunnel in the Nallamala forest.