Polavaram project: All you need to know about the life line project of Andhra Pradesh (AP)

The one to many stories and statues of Sir Arthur Cotton makes me wonder why do people of Andhra Pradesh still hold this Britisher in reverence, 70 years post independence and 120 post his death!

Later, my mother explained the importance of the irrigation projects built by him. How they went on to affect the generations to come after and make Andhra Pradesh the Rice Bowl of India. He completely changed the face of many districts by helping build the Prakasam Barrage, the Dowleswaram Barrage (Dhavaleshvaram Dam) and the Kurnool Cuddappah Canal (K. C. Canal), which help irrigate lakhs of acres till date.

Why are irrigation projects and linking of rivers important?

Irrigation projects: Irrigation projects are the lifeline to our country. India has many rivers, sub rivers but still many parts of the country are suffering from severe drought conditions, while other parts in the same region see the rivers swell into floods! The irrigation projects help bridge the gap by holding large amounts of water which can be utilized for irrigating the drought ridden areas and controlling the water levels at other areas. Many of these projects help irrigate lakhs of acres of agricultural land apart from being an important source of Hydel power.

Integration of rivers (Linking of rivers): Integration of rivers has been a long held dream since independence.Many of the our agricultural scientists…