Polavaram project: US, Canada experts arrive for detailed study

Amaravathi: Four water resources experts from the United States and Canada visited the Polavaram project on Sunday to assess the situation.

Earlier, David P Paul and Gain Franco de Sikko from the US, and Richerd Dannelli and Sean Hinch Berger from Canada had a meeting with officials of the Central Water Resources Department in New Delhi on Saturday.

On Sunday, they reached Polavaram and inspected the project site, including the diaphragm wall, the two cofferdams, and the guide bund.

These experts in water resources are expected to stay at the project site till July 3 to have a detailed study of the design.

After completing their visit to Polavaram, these experts will again be holding review meetings with the officials of the Central Water Resources Department and the representatives of the construction organizations.

A few days ago, CM Nara Chandrababu Naidu released a white paper on the Polavaram project. He said the project is facing a very difficult situation and the priority is to resolve the issues plaguing the coffer dam, diaphragm wall, guide bund, and others, following which the main works will be taken up.

According to Naidu, Rs 12,157 crore will be needed to complete the remaining works of Phase I of the project.

The state government has taken the assistance of these foreign experts in water resources as the prevailing situation is such that the actual loss to the project caused in the past five years due to the faulty decisions of the previous government could not be assessed.

Polavaram Irrigation Project (PIP) is a Multipurpose Terminal Reservoir Project on the River Godavari, near Ramayyapeta Village in Polavaram Mandal of Eluru District. It is 42 km upstream of Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage at Dowleswaram, considered the lifeline of the Andhra Pradesh.