Telangana government: challenges the AP’s Polavaram–Nallamala connection project before the SC
Telangana government: The Telangana government filed a case in the Supreme Court on Tuesday, contesting the Polavaram-Nallamala Sagar Link Project (PNLP), previously known as the Polavaram-Banakacherla Link Project (PBLP), in a new, heightened water conflict between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
A mandamus to stop Andhra Pradesh from moving on with the project, which intends to shift excess floods from the Godavari River to the Krishna and Gundlakamma basins, is sought in the writ suit, which was filed under Article 32 of the Constitution.
The Central Water Commission (CWC) directives, the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act (APRA) of 2014, and the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (GWDT) Award of 1980 are all allegedly violated by Andhra Pradesh’s unilateral project advancement, according to the appeal.
In particular, it asks for a temporary halt to the current Right Main Canal (RMC) extension construction for the Polavaram project and a recent e-procurement tender for the creation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR), which was launched on November 21 and revised on November 24.
With an estimated cost of Rs 58,000 crore, the PNLP is intended to divert 2 TMC of water per day from the Godavari’s Polavaram project, which is now under construction.
The project is divided into three parts: building the Bollapalli reservoir, which has a potential storage capacity of up to 400 TMC; increasing the capacity of the Polavaram RMC from 17,500 cusecs to over 35,000 cusecs or constructing a parallel canal to feed into the Krishna River; and lifting water through tunnels in the Nallamala hill range to the Nallamala Sagar reservoir in Prakasam district. It will help Andhra Pradesh’s south coastal areas and Rayalaseema.
Telangana argues that the project depends on “flood waters” that were not dispersed by the GWDT, which supplied consistent flows but did not distribute excess water.
The appeal points out that Andhra Pradesh has moved on even though the Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR), which was submitted to the CWC in May 2025 and is now being examined, did not get in-principle approval.
The main issues brought up include environmental infractions, possible submergence hazards in Telangana as a result of Polavaram backwaters, and interstate ramifications.
According to the petition, the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change’s Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) rejected the plan in June 2025 and instructed Andhra Pradesh to first settle interstate disputes with the CWC.
Karnataka and Maharashtra have also raised objections; the former is requesting clarification on flood-based project standards, while the latter is demanding compensation for diversions in the Krishna basin.
In spite of this, Andhra Pradesh launched bids for the DPR while the PFR review was still ongoing and established the Jala Harathi Corporation as a Special Purpose Vehicle in April 2025 for implementation.
The petition claims that while the CWC instructed Andhra Pradesh not to go on with DPR preparation without approval in a letter dated December 4, bids were received and an award is on the horizon.