TS govt writes to Centre, seeks to solve Polavaram backwater issue

Hyderabad: The Telangana Special Chief Secretary (Irrigation) Rajat Kumar wrote a letter to the Ministry of Jal Shakti urging to address the Polavaram Project's backwater issue as temple town Bhadrachalam and its surrounding villages, and Bhadradri Thermal Power Station near Manuguru will face threat of submergence due to project's spillway constructed to hold maximum 50 lakh cusecs of floodwater.

Quoting the Supreme Court order, Kumar requested the Jal Shakti Secretary Pankaj Kumar to call for discussion with all stakeholders for addressing the concerns raised by them on Polavaram. He brought to the notice that technical studies undertaken by the Central Water Commission (CWC) and Andhra Pradesh did not mention about submergence area in Telangana state.

Telangana government sent the letter to the Centre after a meeting with all stakeholders scheduled on September 14 was postponed. In the letter, Rajat asked Central government to form a technical committee with experts from CWC, National Institute of Hydrology and chief engineers from states affected by Polavaram to study backwater impact.