Malkangiri: The water resources department Saturday resumed the survey in Motu tehsil of this district to prepare a report about the expected rise of water level and the number of villages to be affected by Polavaram project.
Earlier, four teams comprising 20 members of a Bhubaneswar-based consultancy firm and water resources department officials conducted a survey in Alama, Peta and Vinayakpur areas of Motu tehsil and submitted a preliminary report to the government.
An assessment is being made over the number of villages to be affected by the project and what would be the water level, said executive engineer Prafulla Kumar Pradhan.
On the other hand, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi termed a report submitted by ST commission in connection with the rehabilitation and resettlement of the project-hit people in Andhra Pradesh as one-sided. The commission prepared the report without making any visit to the areas of Malkangiri that would be affected by Polavaram project, Majhi added.
The reservoir of the project would be in Odisha while the dam would be constructed in AP. A proposal submitted by AP in 1978 and 1996 reveals that the level of water in the reservoir would be between 150 ft and 182 ft. In such a scenario, most areas of Malkangiri district would submerge in water in the rainy season. Large tracts of forest would also be under water due to the project, it was learnt.
Besides, many tribal families would be displaced by the project and it is not known whether the promise made by AP and the Centre would be fulfilled. Many tribals evicted in case of other projects are yet to be rehabilitated.
According to the preliminary proposal in 1978, the reservoir was to retain water up to 150 ft. However, it was increased to 182 ft following an inter-state agreement in 1997. At that time, it was mentioned that seven villages spreading across 1,026 hectare of land would be affected. But later in 1999, the water holding capacity of the reservoir was fixed at 179.85 ft with submerge of 10 villages and 2,119.38 hectare of farmland, according to a proposal of AP.
Meanwhile, the people of Motu tehsil are in a state of panic as no one is sure as to how many villages, farmland and forest would go under water.
PNN