Perspectives on Polavaram: A Major Irrigation Project of Godavari - Softcover

"Water resource is increasingly becoming scarce and polluted. Using less water to produce more crops is going to be the new way for Indian agriculture. The debate is not on whether to build the dams or not, but on whether to build projects that benefit people without imposing unacceptably high costs for proper rehabilitation of displaced people and degradation of our ecosystem... "This book Perspectives on Polavaram is an extremely useful contribution to this debate on large irrigation projects. It sets the new trend in our policy analysis, as it includes all the viewpoints.... To my knowledge, this is the first time a book of this kind has been published with divergent views on an irrigation project much before the project has been started." Professor C.H. Hanumantha Rao Distinguished economist and Member, National Advisory Council, Govt. of India. (excerpt from the Foreword to this volume)"

The proposed Polavaram dam, located in Godavari delta, is part of the major irrigation expansion programme of the Government of Andhra Pradesh, which includes 26 projects with an outlay of Rs. 46,000 crores ($10 billion). Controversies around major water infrastructure projects are not new in India, Polavaram being no exception. As river disputes in India are bound to take centre stage of national politics, and environmental issues are set to dominate public agenda in coming years, Polavaram project is sure to engage the attention of both common man and intellectuals/activists. ""Perspectives on Polavaram"" provides a platform to articulate diverse views on this mega irrigation project. This book is an effort to establish an informed dialogue on Polavaram based on mutual respect. Comprising contributions by eminent people from a wide cross section of the society and representing different interest groups, this 'first of its kind' publication attempts to bring together various perspectives on the Polavaram project.