On February 15, the supreme court asked the Central Water Commission (CWC) to examine and submit a report on the nature and extent of submergence that the Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh may cause.

The ruling came on a petition by Andhra Pradesh which sought permission for the execution of the long-pending Rs 12,000-crore project. Andhra Pradesh said that it had obtained all necessary clearances required for the project.

To prevent submergence and flooding, the commission had recommended construction of embankments, which would also be implemented, K K Venugopal senior counsel for the state government said.

The state informed the court that there would be a net increase of Rs 2,296 crore in annual agriculture production, which will add to the country's GNP. It will help in providing assured water supply to industries and cater to drinking water needs to Visakhapatnam city and hundreds of villages.

However, Orissa and Chhattisgarh, the other states that the project will affect, said the impact in their states had not been examined. The bench asked CWC to consider this aspect as well.