New Delhi: The Centre has formally circulated Andhra Pradesh’s ambitious pre-feasibility report (PFR) for the proposed ₹81,990 crore Godavari-Banakacharla (GB) river-linking project to Telangana and other Godavari basin states for review and feedback. The report, recently submitted by the AP government to the Union Jal Shakti and Finance Ministries, outlines plans to divert surplus Godavari floodwaters to drought-prone regions via Banakacharla.
As part of its review process, the Central Water Commission (CWC) has reached out to five states – Maharashtra, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh—seeking feedback on the proposal. The commission has asked the states to flag any objections or share suggestions. It has also brought the Krishna and Godavari River Management Boards, along with the Polavaram Project Authority, into the loop.
The project envisions channelling floodwaters currently flowing wastefully into the sea, and instead routing them from the Polavaram Dam to the Banakacharla regulator, located downstream of Srisailam. This linkage, AP claims, would enable the transfer of 200 TMC of water annually, at a daily rate of 2 TMC, into the Srisailam Right Main Canal for irrigation and drinking water use.
The Centre is also set to discuss backwater impacts from the Polavaram reservoir at the upcoming PRAGATI review meeting scheduled for June 25. The meeting is expected to bring further clarity to inter-state concerns, especially those raised by Telangana and other basin states over the downstream consequences of the project.
