In Manturu panchayat of Devipatnam mandal in Alluri Sitarama Raju district, a mighty Peepal tree stands guard as the sacred Godavari river flows through the hillock to reach Penikilapadu, once the village of the Koya tribe. The tribal community, which made its living through fishing, had to leave the village in July 2020 to make way for the Polavaram Project, said to be India’s largest multi-purpose irrigation project.
The Polavaram project is being built on the Godavari River in the erstwhile West Godavari district. Declared a national project, it aims to divert 80 TMC of Godavari water into the Krishna river, irrigate 4.36 lakh hectares, supply drinking water to 28 lakh people and generate 960 MW of hydropower.
At least 56 project displaced families (PDF) were shifted to the Kondamodalu Polavaram Project Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) Colony at Pedda Bheempalli village in Devipatnam mandal. With this, the total number of PDFs in the colony increased to 310, belonging to three tribes—Koya, Konda Kammara and Konda Reddy, a particularly vulnerable tribal group in Andhra Pradesh. Kondamodalu R&R Colony is located 40-50 km away from their native villages.
“It was around the end of July 2020 when the river swelled with record-high flood flows, forcing us to flee. The flood washed away nine dhons—traditional boats belonging to our village—and buried part of the settlement near the Polavaram spillway,” Mr. Ramana Dora recalled.
In July 2020, the flood level in Bhadrachalam, upstream of the Polavaram project, reached 71.30 feet, the highest since the worst flood of 1986, when it reached 75.6 feet.
The carry is used for fishing, river crossing and even during medical emergencies. , Photo Courtesy: T. Appala Naidu
In the Polavaram floodplain, the Konda Reddy, Konda Kammara and Koya tribes shared a deep relationship with the Dhone. Crafted from the Buriga tree (local name) and measuring approximately 10 by 15 feet, the tote was used for fishing, river crossings and even during medical emergencies. Due to the nature of wood, wash It can float even when capsized and can carry eight to nine people.
PDF said they are struggling to earn livelihood in their resettled areas. The inaccessibility of the R&R colonies has made farming or fishing in their abandoned villages almost impossible for temporary livelihood.
“In our ancestral villages, everything came from nature – the river and the forest. In R&R Colony, nothing is available without cash. How can we earn money when we have no skills to find work outside the forest?” Karim Ramana Dora, 36, a graduate enrolled as a para-legal volunteer, expressed his condolences. He further said, “Our family’s seven acres of land in our native village is still submerged. But it is impossible to take care of the fields or resume fishing, as we cannot afford to cross the river regularly.”
In Kachuluru village, located two kilometers upstream from Penikilapadu, at least 80 families fled during the 2020 floods and settled in Indukuru‑2 R&R Colony. The tribes of Kachuluru had shown remarkable courage by saving 26 tourists after a private tourist ship capsized. Royal Vashishtha Punnami It overturned near their village on September 15, 2019, killing 51 people.
“Our family’s 20 acres of land, which had about 300 palm trees, came under Polavaram submergence zone. Most of the villagers are now unemployed in R&R Colony, especially men,” said Konutula Chittibabu.
Recalling that his only fishing boat, the Dhone, was washed away in the river, he said, “I sold my boat.” LuncheeWhich once ran across the river between Polavaram and Kondamodalu at a very low price of ₹80,000. If I had not sold it, where would I have kept it in R&R Colony?” Mr. Chittibabu asked.
A father of three, Mr Chittibabu is now trying his luck in agriculture on land allotted under the Land-to-Land (LTL) component near Indukuru-2 Colony.
According to the Polavaram Project Authority under the Jal Shakti Ministry, by October 2025, 14,371 PDFs out of a total of 38,060 PDFs in 172 settlements in the submerged areas of East and West Godavari districts have been shifted to 26 R&R colonies.
A total of 89,996 acres of land has been acquired for construction and allotment of 121 R&R colonies under the LTL component. ₹12,832 crore is required to acquire 1,00,100 acres, but almost half the funds have not been released yet by the Centre.
Polavaram Irrigation Project Administrator V. Abhishek said the state government has involved Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) to identify suitable land for setting up industries near R&R colonies.
“We have adopted consent-based resettlement for economic feasibility. Families are being asked to choose LTL land, and ₹700 crore has already been spent on land acquisition since November,” he said. After re-tendering, construction work of 49 more R&R colonies is going on. Land is also being identified for rehabilitation of 17,114 PDFs from 49 habitations in Chintoor Agency area who are facing the risk of submergence after the 2020 floods.
Despite these efforts, many families still struggle to earn a livelihood. Konuthula Papayamma, a mother of five from Thalluru village, said: “We were allotted 2.5 acres of land under the LTL component, but it has no irrigation facilities and is unsuitable for farming. Using compensation money, we prepared the land, but in four years, we could grow cashew nuts in only half an acre.”
“Only four families out of 310 PDFs in Kondamodalu R&R Colony accepted land under the LTL component. Every family here is still looking for guaranteed livelihood,” he said. Along with her husband Babu Rao, she works wherever labor is available in the nearby town of Gokavaram.
Alluri Sitaram Raju District Collector AS Dinesh Kumar said a mapping exercise is underway to assess skill-training needs among PDFs. “MSME parks are being encouraged near R&R colonies. Each colony will eventually have a skill training centre.”
Polavaram-Displaced women, near Konda Modalu R&R Colony in Pedda Bheempalli village of Devipatnam mandal, Alluri Sitarama Raju district, returning from a day’s work in nearby towns. , Photo Courtesy: T. Appala Naidu
Sangam Srilatha, 26, a mother of three, said families now accept any unskilled work in nearby towns like Rajamahendravaram, Gokavaram and Kakinada. “My husband works in construction, while the women get seasonal work in tobacco and maize fields. The wages are very low – Rs 350 per day – except Rs 100 for transportation. Monsoon is the hardest time,” she said.
In R&R colonies under ITDA limits, women travel long distances by autorickshaw to find work, while many men remain unemployed. “During winters, we leave home at 5 a.m. and return in the evening after working in the maize fields and tobacco nurseries, traveling about 50 km,” said Nesika Subbayamma of Indukuru-2 Colony.
Despite recommendations from foreign experts, quality concerns remain at Polavaram project
Women earn a maximum of ₹500 per day in agricultural work and engage in construction work during the off-season. “For years men have been unemployed and taking care of the children,” he said.
Due to increasing poverty, families have also been forced to change their traditional diet. “I have not seen Wonjalu fish since 2020. In our village, it was in abundance. Here, we cannot even buy farmed fish. Our food habits have changed like in the plains,” said Mr. Ramana Dora. At one time women used to fish with men in the Godavari.
The PDF hopes that they can resume fishing, as they are entitled to fishing rights in the Polavaram reservoir only after the project starts.
According to the Second Schedule of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, “In cases of irrigation or hydropower projects, the affected families may be allowed fishing rights in the water bodies in such manner as may be determined by the appropriate Government.”
He said, “If the rights are respected in letter and spirit, we hope to regain our fishing rights in the reservoir. We want to live the life we once lived on the banks of the river – perhaps after the project becomes operational. Till then, our lives are hanging between uncertainty and the sacred Godavari river.”
Meanwhile, during a high-level review in Amaravati on October 3, 2025, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu set a new deadline to commission the Polavaram project by Godavari Pushkaram in 2027. By October, 79% of earthwork, 84.78% of concrete work and 86.26% of steel work had been completed.
