Vijayawada: The designs for the new Diaphragm Wall (D-Wall) of the Polavaram Irrigation Project are expected to be approved by November 25 this year, with work likely to commence by the end of December or January next year. According to sources, the new D-Wall, estimated to cost around Rs 900 crore, will be executed by the German company Bauer Group. The project is expected to be completed by March 2026, or potentially by December 2025, depending on the progress of work.
Polavaram project officials anticipate that the works can proceed swiftly if the climate permits. They expect normal flood days in the Godavari River during the upcoming season but are also taking into account the possibility of an increase in flood days when finalizing the work schedule. An international team of experts, which studied the scoured portions of the project and other aspects, is expected to submit its recommendations to the Central Water Commission (CWC) by February for the approval of the Earth Cum Rock Fill (ECRF) Dam.
Works for Gap 1 of the ECRF Dam are expected to begin in March next year, with Gap 2 scheduled for November. Both the D-Wall and the ECRF Dam will be undertaken simultaneously. These decisions were made during a workshop on the technical aspects of the Polavaram project, where the international expert team explained the finer details to project officials. After the formation of the new government, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu visited the project and released a white paper on June 28, blaming YSRC president and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy for the delay in completing the irrigation project.
Naidu attributed the damage to the D-Wall and leaks in the cofferdams to what he called the “ignorant decisions” made by the previous government. He claimed that changing contract agencies and transferring experienced officials during the execution of crucial works on the upper cofferdam led to a gap in the project, which further contributed to the damage during the floods of 2019 and 2020. In August, the Union Cabinet sanctioned Rs 12,157 crore to complete Phase 1 of the Polavaram Irrigation Project, which has a total estimated cost of Rs 30,436.95 crore. So far, Rs 15,146 crore has been released, and the remaining amount will be disbursed in phases in 2024-2026.
