Godavari River

• 05 Apr 2021

Why in News

The Godavari water is to be released into the irrigation canals in East and West Godavari districts from the Polavaram irrigation project site up to 15^th April 2021 against the previous deadline of 31^st March 2021.

• Work on the cofferdam is scheduled to commence in April.

Key Points

• Godavari River:
  
  • The Godavari is the largest Peninsular river system. It is also called the Dakshin Ganga.
  • Source: Godavari river rises from Trimbakeshwar near Nasik in Maharashtra and flows for a length of about 1465 km before outfalling into the Bay of Bengal.
  • Drainage Basin: The Godavari basin extends over states of Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha in addition to smaller parts in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Union territory of Puducherry.
  • Tributaries: Pravara, Purna, Manjra, Penganga, Wardha, Wainganga, Pranhita (combined flow of Wainganga, Penganga, Wardha), Indravati, Maner and the Sabri.
  • Cultural Significance: Kumbh Mela also takes place on the banks of the Godavari river in Nashik.
    • Other locations for Kumbh are the Shipra river in Ujjain, the Ganges in Haridwar, and the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati river in Prayag.
  • Godavari River Dispute: Godavari river water sharing is bone of contention among Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Karnataka.
  • Important Projects on Godavari:
    
    • Polavaram Irrigation Project.
    • Kaleshwaram.
    • Sadarmatt Anicut across river Godavari is one among the two irrigation projects in the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) Register of Heritage Irrigation Structures.
    • Inchampalli: The Inchampalli project is proposed on the Godavari River about 12 km downstream of the confluence of Indravati with the Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh.
      
      • It is a joint project among the States of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
    • Sriram Sagar Project (SRSP): The Sriram Sagar Project is a multipurpose project, located across the Godavari River near Pochampad of Nizamabad District in Telangana.

• Polavaram Irrigation Project:
  
  • Polavaram Project is located in Andhra Pradesh on the river Godavari, near Polavaram village.
  • It is a multi-purpose irrigation project as the project once completed will provide Irrigation benefits and will generate HydroElectric Power.
    
    • In addition, this project will also supply drinking water.
  • It will facilitate an inter-basin transfer to the Krishna river basin through its Right canal.
  • It will also provide indirect benefits such as development of Pisciculture (breeding and rearing of fish), tourism and urbanisation.
  • The Project has been accorded national project status by the union government in 2014 (under Section-90 of Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014).

Cofferdam

• A cofferdam is defined as a temporary barrier in or around a body of water which allows the process of de-watering, diversion, or damming of water within an enclosed area.
• The major purpose of any cofferdam type is to hold back overwhelming or inconvenient waters and create a dry work environment.
• This allows a project to proceed with as little resistance and as much safety as possible.

Source:TH