BJP Leader Advocates Four Water Concept Over Costly Polavaram-Banakacharla Project

In a significant appeal to Andhra Pradesh's Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, BJP leader Marri Shashidhar Reddy has championed the Four Water Concept (FWC) as a feasible substitute to the economically taxing Polavaram-Banakacharla Link Project (PBLP).

Reddy, who previously served as the Vice Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority, highlights the FWC's ability to offer water for agriculture at a fraction of the PBLP's projected cost. He notes the project's estimated impact of covering 30 lakh acres for Rs 4,500 crore, starkly lower than the PBLP's Rs 81,900 crore.

Stressing sustainable practices, the FWC emphasizes minor earthen structures like percolation tanks over large constructions. The initiative also faces cross-state challenges, as Telangana opposes the PBLP, creating tension in regional water management strategies.

(With inputs from agencies.)