Whenever the opportunity arises, Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu often makes tall claims that the Polavaram project — stalled during the YSR Congress Party regime — has now picked up pace and is progressing in full swing.
Naidu and his cabinet colleague Nimmala Ramanaidu, who holds the irrigation portfolio, have repeatedly stated that the diaphragm wall works are progressing rapidly and will be completed by December this year. Simultaneously, they claim that the earth-cum-rockfill dam works are also underway.
However, a report published by Eenadu — a daily widely regarded as pro-TDP — suggests that the pace of work is still inadequate to meet the 2027 completion deadline, despite the coalition government’s efforts to get the Polavaram project back on track.
According to the report, several technical challenges were resolved over the past year, and construction of a new diaphragm wall has begun. The Central government has also released advance funds, which are currently available.
“Despite this, several works are not progressing at the required speed. The target to complete the diaphragm wall by December 2025 seems increasingly unlikely,” the report said.
It noted that diaphragm wall construction began in January, with a total of 67,000 square meters planned. In six months, only 29% of the work has been completed.
“As of early July, about 47,673 sq. meters remain. At the current pace of 5,300 sq. meters per month, it will take another nine months — pushing the projected completion to March 2026,” the report pointed out.
Eenadu added that June saw the highest monthly progress so far, with 4,000 sq. meters completed. Although three cutters were initially planned for use, the third cutter only arrived in May. Field engineers have reportedly said that this cutter, having previously been used at other sites, is not functioning at optimal capacity.
“With the flood season now underway in the Godavari River, the goal was to complete 157 square meters per day between July and September — but that pace is not being met,” the report said.
While the government has stated that Gap-1 main dam works commenced in April, final designs are still pending. The initial designs were submitted to the Central Water Commission (CWC) in April 2024, but a team of international experts suggested changes in May.
“The revised designs have been resubmitted to the CWC and are currently awaiting approval. Delays have also occurred in finalizing other structural designs,” the report added.
Officials noted that representatives from AFRY (the design consultants) are not present at the Polavaram site. The lead designer is reportedly based in Dubai, which has contributed to the delay in finalizing structural components.
The team of international experts has recommended assigning a dedicated engineering official to oversee all aspects of the Polavaram project on-site.
Currently, Chief Engineer Narasimhulu is handling dual responsibilities in both Amaravati and Polavaram. As of May, the government had not implemented this recommendation.