Watch CutTheClutter: Andhra Pradesh’s Polavaram dam & realities of building large-scale infra in India

In Episode 1591 of CutTheClutter, Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta looks at the decades of delays, cost overruns, and governance hurdles that have plagued the project.

New Delhi: The central government has disbursed over Rs 2,700 crore for the Polavaram dam, now classified as a national project, bringing Andhra Pradesh closer to its completion as construction resumed last week. First envisioned in 1941 during British rule, the project aims to interlink the Godavari and Krishna rivers. Despite being formally initiated by the Congress government in 2005, it has been plagued by decades of delays, cost overruns, and governance hurdles, making it a case study in the complexities of large-scale infrastructure development in India.

Proposed in 2005, during the tenure of Congress leader Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, the project was designed to irrigate 7.2 lakh acres of farmland, stabilise additional agricultural land, and provide drinking water to millions. Although often referred to as a hydroelectric project, its power generation capacity of 960 MW is limited by the region’s topography, with irrigation and water supply as its primary objectives. Despite its importance, the project has been mired in difficulties since its inception, with political instability, natural calamities, and financial constraints contributing to its slow progress.

In 2019, severe floods damaged the diaphragm wall—a vital structural element—resulting in additional repair costs exceeding Rs 1,000 crore. The failure of the coffer dams, designed to temporarily divert river water during construction, have exacerbated the situation by allowing water to flood the construction site, causing significant damage and further delaying progress.

The bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014 further complicated the project. Losing Hyderabad, its economic hub, left Andhra Pradesh struggling to fund the project. Declared a national project by the central government, financial responsibility was transferred, but initial funding models requiring the state to spend first and seek reimbursement proved inefficient. A revised model now allows advance payments, accelerating construction. Recent allocations have enabled critical work to resume, with phase one expected to be completed between July and December 2027.

Polavaram’s regional significance extends beyond Andhra Pradesh. Stored water will be distributed among Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh, addressing interstate water-sharing concerns. The Krishna basin, prone to water shortages, will benefit significantly, bolstering agricultural productivity in the region.