Overview

• Andhra Pradesh has submitted only a preliminary feasibility report for the Polavaram–Banakacherla link and awaits the CWC’s techno-economic assessment before any construction can start.
• Minister Nara Lokesh and TDP leaders are lobbying for CWC clearance to divert what they call surplus Godavari floodwaters through the Krishna into drought-prone Rayalaseema.
• The project’s detailed project report was returned by four central agencies, including the CWC and the Environment Ministry, for insufficient water data and lack of approvals.
• Telangana officials, led by T. Harish Rao, warn they will approach the Supreme Court to defend the 968 TMC share awarded to them by the 1980 Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal.
• Since October 2023, Andhra Pradesh’s takeover of key regulators at the Nagarjuna Sagar Project has heightened tensions over control of the NSP Right Main Canal and fears of future overdrawals.