Context: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has recently intensified its efforts to highlight the potential adverse impacts of the Polavaram Dam project (Andhra Pradesh), on the tribal communities in Odisha’s Malkangiri district (Odisha).
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts about Polavaram Dam Project.
Polavaram Dam Project:
- The Polavaram Project is an under construction multi-purpose irrigation project on the Godavari River. It is located in the Polavaram mandal of the Eluru district (formerly West Godavari district) in Andhra Pradesh.
Purpose:
- The project is a multi-purpose project on river Godavari for irrigation, developing hydropower and providing drinking water facilities to East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, West Godavari and Krishna districts of Andhra Pradesh.
- The project will provide irrigation facilities to 2.91 lakh hectares.
- The project has an installed capacity of 960 MW and will provide 23.44 TMC (663.7 MCM) of drinking water and industrial water supply to Visakhapatnam city and steel plant.
- In this project, Godavari-Krishna inter-linking will be implemented under the inter-linking of rivers project. The project envisages transfer of 80 TMC of surplus water of Godavari river to Krishna river to be shared between Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Background:
- The Polavaram Irrigation Project on the river Godavari was conceived as a part of the recommendations of the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (GWDT).
- Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha had entered into an agreement dated April 2, 1980, where the project was to be executed by Andhra Pradesh.
- As per Andhra Pradesh State Reorganization Act (APRA), 2014, the Polavaram Irrigation Project was declared as a National Project . As per the Act the Central Government shall execute the project and obtain all requisite clearances including environmental, forests, and rehabilitation and resettlement norms.
Objection raised by Odisha:
- The Odisha State government in the year 2016 submitted to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) that the project was going to submerge 7,656 hectares of land, including forestland, and displace more than 6,800 people including 5,916 tribals in Malkangiri.
**Though no comprehensive study has been carried out with regards to the likely submergence of the Malkangiri district due to the Polavaram project.
Steps taken by Ministry of Jal Shakti
- The Ministry of Jal Shakti said that by providing remedial measures such as constructing protective embankments along Sileru and Sabari River in Odisha, and along Sabari River in Chhattisgarh, the submergence in both Odisha and Chhattisgarh could be avoided completely.
- In August 2024 this year, the Ministry had asked the State Pollution Control Boards of Odisha and Chhattisgarh to conduct a public hearing for the construction of protective embankments without further loss of time as the project is in an advanced stage of construction.
Present status:
- The Odisha State Pollution Control Board is yet to hold a public hearing.
- The Odisha government had earlier expressed its reservation over the high protective embankment by stating that the construction of an embankment requires the diversion of forestland and creates flooding in Odisha territory.