2.  National River-
Linking Project,
which works under
the aegis of the
Indian Ministry of
Water Resources,
was designed to
overcome the
deficit in water in
the country.

3.  This exercise, with a
combined network of 30
river-links and a total
length of 14,900 kilometres
(9,300 mi) at an estimated
cost of US$120 billion (in
1999), would be the largest
ever infrastructure project
in the world
 Based on the estimated
water requirements in
2025, the Study
recommended that sizable
surplus water was to be
transferred from the
Godavari River basin to the
Krishna River basin.

4.  In 1980, then Chief Minister of
Andhra Pradesh T. Anjaiah laid the
foundation stone for the project.
However the project stayed idle
until 2004 when the Y. S.
Rajasekhara Reddy-led government
came to power
 In 2004, the Government of Andhra
Pradesh sanctioned 1,320 crore
(US$230 million) for the project.
Soon after, tenders were issued for
the commensurate worth of
services for the right canal of the
project. For the left canal, another
1,353 crore were sanctioned by the
state government.

5.  As of 2004, the
proposed project
would hold 75.2
tmcft thereby
enabling irrigation
of an additional
232,000 acre in
Krishna, West
Godavari, East
Godavari,
Visakhapatnam,
Vizianagaram and
Srikakulam districts
of Andhra Pradesh.

6.  The project would constitute
an earth-cum-rock fill dam
of 2,310 metres (7,580 ft)
length, spillway of 907
metres (2,976 ft) with 44
vents to enable discharge of
3,600,000 cu ft/s (100,000
m3/s) of water. To its left,
12 water turbines, each
having 80 megawatt
capacity, were to be
installed. The right canal
(173 kilometres (107 mi)
long) discharges 17,500 cu
ft/s (500 m3/s) and left
canal (182 kilometres (113
mi) long) discharges 17,500
cu ft/s (500 m3/s) of water.

7.  The proposed project
would displace 276
villages and 44,574
families spread
across three districts
of Andhra Pradesh.
 Human rights
activists came out
against the project
because of these
reasons.

8.  the project not only
will displace several
thousands of
families, it will also
submerge several
archeological sites,
coal deposits, a
wildlife sanctuary
and several hectares
of farm land.

9.  Godavari experienced high
flood in August 2006,
submerging about 370 villages
for days in Andhra Pradesh
 The Polavaram project will
harness the waters of the river
Godavari by building a 45.72-
metre-high, 2.32-km-long
dam
 The earth and rock-filled dam
will have a storage capacity of
551 million cubic metre (mcm)
and power generation capacity
of 960 MW. The initial
proposal was for a storage
reservoir with a capacity of
424.8 mcm and full reservoir
level (FRL) of 45.72 metre

10.  The water from the dam
reservoir will irrigate
291,778 ha of
agricultural land in the
districts of Krishna, East
and West Godavari and
Visakhaptnam through
two major canals
 BUT NEARLY 70% OF
GODAVARI RIVER WATER
i.e 3000 TMCS WATER
WAS WASTLY FLOWS
INTO BAY OF BENGAL
NEAR ANTARVEDI

11.  NEW SURVEYS ARE
GOING ON TO
COMPLETE THIS
PROJECT AS EARLY
AS POSSIBLE
 SO MANY PEOPLE ARE
STRUGGLING FOR
THIS PROJECT
 HOPE THAT
GOVERNMENT WILL
COMPLETE IT SOON