HYDERABAD, JULY 19 (UNI) Telangana government on Tuesday blamed the Polavaram project under construction in Andhra Pradesh for recent floods in the Godavari. Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar stated that there was negligence in releasing water from Polavaram which led to floods at Bhadrachalam, inundating parts of the town and several villages along the course of the river in the Bhadradri-Kothagudem district.
The Minister demanded that the Andhra Pradesh government reduce the height of the Polavaram dam to avoid floods at Bhadrachalam due to backwaters. He said Telangana had been demanding the neighboring state reduce the height of Polavaram. Several public representatives in the Bhadradri-Kothagudem district also made the demand and blamed the Polavaram project for the floods.
The flood level at Bhadrachalam last week reached 71 feet, the highest in more than three decades, as a result of heavy rains in catchment areas and significant upstream inflows. A total of 25,000 flood-affected residents were transported to relief camps. A few days after Andhra Pradesh increased the height of the upper coffer dam of Polavaram by one meter, the Telangana minister made his demand.
