In this episode of The Integrated Water Management Podcast, we journey to India to explore one of its most ambitious - and controversial - water infrastructure projects: the Polavaram Dam. Promising flood control, hydropower, and irrigation, this dam on the Godavari River raises pressing questions about equity, legality, and environmental sustainability.
Host Britt is joined by two guests - Ruben, who breaks down the political and historical stakes, and Zehra, a modelling expert who shares insights from a dynamic simulation of treaty performance under drought and surplus conditions. Together, they unravel the complexities of water allocation, ecological impact, and the challenges of building fair and adaptive water-sharing agreements in a changing world.
Whether you’re into engineering, policy, or just fascinated by how water shapes power, people, and places, this one’s for you.
Did you listen to this podcast and want to get a better picture of the Polavaram dam? Then the following YouTube video gives an excellent overview of it: https://youtu.be/vZiL--dFqCg?si=EPZZ7wCTG88nQsVa