Centre to discuss the linking of rivers Godavari and Cauvery with Water Development secretaries of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and the Union Territory of Puducherry.
The Godavari, also called Dakshin Ganga, is the second-longest river in India. The river originates from Trimbakeshwar in Nashik, Maharashtra, gushes through Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh before merging into the Bay of Bengal.
Each year 237 Tmc ft of freshwater from the river is wasted in the ocean. Once the rivers Godavari, Krishna, Penna, and Cauvery are interlinked, this excess water can cater to the water needs of peninsular India, which doesn’t have a perennial river source.
A year back, the National Water Development Agency (NWDA), functioning under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, sent a detailed report on interlinking Godavari and Cauvery rivers to all the concerned states. Then, in October last year, a meeting was held to discuss the various elements involved in implementing the scheme.
The project would have three vital links between Godavari (Inchampalli) and Krishna (Nagarjuna Sagar Dam), Krishna (Nagarjuna Sagar Dam), and Penna (Somasila), and Penna (Somasila) and Cauvery (Grand Anicut).
The link project will dig canals of a total length of 1211 km and lay massive water pipelines. Enormous by size, scale, and budget, the Godavari – Cauvery link project will address the southern states’ drinking, irrigation, and industrial needs.
Meanwhile, today, NWDA has met the representatives from all the five concerned states in Delhi. They discussed implementing the Godavari – Cauvery Link Project.
Telangana has asked NWDA first to assess the availability of surplus water. On the other hand, Andhra Pradesh has proposed that the link project could begin from Polavaram. It has no objection to diverting excess water after fulfilling scarcity hit areas of the state.
However, Karnataka wants to know how the state would benefit from the project. In contrast, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry seem to have no objections as the scheme would address their water needs.
We learn that the beneficiary states will bear 40% of the cost, and the Centre will fund the remaining. The authorities exchanged their views on land acquisition, utilizing existing projects to build the Godavari-Cauvery link, and possible alternate routes in the meeting. NWDA clarified that the meeting was mainly to know the opinion of the states and not for making decisions.