Two river-linking projects likely for State: Gadkari.

Union Minister for Water Resources Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday that his Ministry was exploring two river-linking projects that would solve Tamil Nadu’s water scarcity.

The Minister said that he had asked a team of technical experts to look at the proposal. He said that the team’s report was due in a month, after which he will convene a meeting of the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana to seek approvals. The Central government will fund 90% of the project.

Mr. Gadkari - who also handles the Road Transport, Highways and Shipping and River Development portfolios - made the announcement after a review meeting of the projects being implemented in the State. Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami led the State government team and later addressed a joint conference with Mr. Gadkari at the Crowne Plaza, Chennai Adyar Park.

The Chief Minister welcomed the proposal. “I believe that this project will end our farmers’ struggle to find water. We thank the Minister for conceptualising this project,” Mr. Palaniswami said.

Mr. Gadkari said that water would be taken from the Godavari and Indravati. He pointed out that 3,000 tmc of water flows from the Godavari into the sea. “My Ministry has, therefore, decided to transfer the surplus water of the Godavari to the Krishna and Pennar and finally to the Cauvery,” he said.

“Initially, about 300 tmc of water is proposed to be lifted from the Godavari river, upstream of the Polavaram project, by steel pipe to save on land acquisition costs. This water will be released on the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam on the Krishna river. Further, the water would be taken from the Krishna up to Somasila project on the Pennar and then to Grand Anicut on the Cauvery. Around 100 tmc of water will be carried to the Cauvery,” said the Minister.

The second proposal involves a dam on the Indravati river on the Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra border. “We will now request Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra to take that water to the Nagarjuna Sagar and then to the Somasila dam. Then, it can come to the Cauvery — the part of Tamil Nadu, without the Karnataka connectivity,” Mr. Gadkari said.

THE HINDU