[intro]Telugu360.com has requested former Chief Technical Adviser to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO/UN), Dr. S. Jeevananda Reddy, to present views on TDP Government’s much publicized inter linking of  Godavari – Krishna rivers  this week. In this guest essay he discusses about Polavaram, Pattiseema projects and Inter linking of rivers[/intro]

I did the inter-linking of Godavari River with Krishna River during 1964-69 on many occasions of my travel in train Guntur to Visakhapatnam via Vijayawada to Rajahmundry. I used to fill Krishna water in a bottle at Vijayawada and put that water into Godavari at Rajahmundry and vice versa . I enjoyed this. Now i read a story (by Tanaya Singh in BetterIndia)which says that the TDP government is the first to inter-link the Godavari water with Krishna River. The story says the Godavari River water from Tadipudi lift irrigation was pumped in to Polavaram Right Canal and this reaches Krishna River Prakasam barrage. The TDP Government plan was to pump water of Godavari from Pattiseema lift irrigation project in to the Polavaram right canal to Krishna River.

Justice Bachawat Tribunal approved the inter-linking of Godavari River with Krishna River through Polavaram project [it is a multipurpose project with 960 MW of power production]. With this 80 TMC of surplus water in Krishna River basin becomes allotted water. In this AP share is 45 TMC. For Polavaram Project in 80s Chief Minister Anjaih laid the foundation stone but nothing moved afterwards. In 2004 Dr. Y. S. Rajashekara Reddy took over as Chief Minister of the State. He started the work [got most of the necessary approvals] including first phase of rehabilitation and right left canals excavation before his death. Dr. YSR’s government released excellent R & R Package. As part of this, Pulichintala project was initiated [I was a member of the CFE committee in APPCB which cleared the project – three collectors agreed with my proposal to give land to land for displaced]. If Dr. YSR would have been alive this project would have been completed and Rayalaseema would have benefited from the inter-linking of Godavari with Krishna. Here the water moves through gravity from Godavari to Krishna, which is real inter-linking of rivers.

Now present TDP Chief Minister says, he laid foundation stone to Tadipudi lift irrigation project so, it is his baby [inter-linking]. Unfortunately, NTR laid foundation stones for several projects but none of them started work. The Present TDP Chief Minister also laid second time foundation stones where NTR laid the foundation stones prior to 2004. With this we lost the flood water use from Krishna basin [8 projects]. All these projects were proposed in Congress time in 70s-80s only. TDP rulers simply laid foundation stones. Under Jalayagnam Dr. YSR initiated all the projects [proposed in 80s] by giving funds. Now, TDP government says, though they abused on Jalayagnam projects now they claim Tadipudi lift irrigation project is their own, so they own the inter-linking of the rivers.

A report in Andhra Jyothi, 20 June 2014 state that in Telangana under Jalayagnam 25 projects were initiated to irrigate 22,77,416 acres at a cost of about Rs. 21,506 crores. So far around 14,321 crores were spent on them. After Dr. Y. S. Rajashekara Reddy death in 2009, the later governments failed to speeding up the construction activity as: if they are completed the benefit goes to Dr. Y. S. Rajashekara Reddy. To complete the projects around Rs. 11, 440 crores are needed in which original estimate is Rs. 7,185 crores plus an addition of Rs. 4,255 crores [escalation costs]. However, the new government is playing politics and wanted to change the projects. Some of them are nearly completed. These projects include under Krihna River as well Godavari River. One of the major projects initiated on Godavari River is Pranahita-Chevella project that is expected to meet the drinking and irrigation needs in 7 districts out of ten districts of Telangana and thus bring down the cost of water grid project initiated at Rs. 40,000 crores.

Have you seen the water that flowed from Tadipudi lift irrigation project built by Dr. YSR government in to Polavaram right canal which was built by Dr. YSR government – it is a muddy water [irrigation minister & TDP leaders have a dip in that water] pumped in to mud canal [TV channel showed this – water flow cutting the banks and carrying red sandy soil with it and will deposit it in to Krishna River].

Tanaya Singh says in the write up the Pattiseema project is meant to supply water to Rayalaseema. May be the writer has no knowledge on the Rayalaseema projects and Pothireddypadu head regulator are not yet finished after Dr. YSR death – everybody is afraid that these are completed Dr. YSR will get the credit.

TDP leader including NTR were never interested to take up irrigation projects due to regional politics. NTR completed Telugu Ganga project with most of the money was given by Tamil Nadu Government to take drinking water to Chennai – but on the day of opening the canal breeched submerging vast cropped lands in Rayalaseema.

Inter-linking of Rivers – by definition, the water from One River joins another river through gravity. Lift irrigation does not come under inter-linking of the rivers as the flow water will not connect the two rivers. So, water taken from Godavari through Tadipudi or Pattiseema through lift irrigation will not connect the two rivers through water flow. Unfortunately no irrigation expert says this is not a inter-linking of rivers. This is our political experts!!!

Tadipudi was built by Dr. YSR government and Polavaram Right Canal was excavated by Dr. YSR government. TDP government simply lofted water from Tadipudi and put in to Right Canal. So, the credit of inter-linking [?] as propagated goes to Dr. YSR and not to TDP government. Tadipudi water is meant for Godavari district and not for Krishna district.

Pattiseema lift irrigation project – it is meant to serve the real estate interests in the new capital city only and not to take water to Rayalaseema. Rayalaseema get water only by completing the pending works on projects in Rayalaseema and Polavaram.