A 1.50-metre increase in the height of the upper cofferdam of the multipurpose Polavaram irrigation project by the Water Resources Department (WRD) of Andhra Pradesh has raised the hackles of the neighbouring Telangana.
The inundation of the temple town of Bhadrachalam and several villages along the course of the Godavari in Bhadradri - Kothagudem, which Telangana believes is the result of the increase in the dam height, evoked a knee-jerk reaction from Puvvada Ajay Kumar, the Minister who represents Khammam (where Bhadrachalam is located) in the Telangana Assembly, and other people’s representatives.
In a quick retort to their demand that the cofferdam height should be reduced, Andhra Pradesh Minister for Water Resources Ambati Rambabu maintained that the allegations being levelled by Mr. Ajay Kumar and others were baseless. The height had to be increased to mitigate the impact of floods, he insisted.
