Plan ready for linking Cauvery with Godavari, says Gadkari

The detailed project report is ready on the river connectivity project for transferring surplus waters of the Godavari river to the Cauvery to tackle water scarcity in Tamil Nadu.

Nearly 3,000 tmcft of water from the Godavari flows into the sea.

Cabinet note

“We are working to address this issue through the river connectivity project,” said Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

A Cabinet note has already been submitted on this ‘national project’ in which 90 per cent of funding will be from the Centre and the rest 10 per cent from the State, he said, while inaugurating the International Consultation on Water: Augmentation of Supply and Management of Demand, organised by the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation.

From Polavaram, water will be taken to the Krishna river, and from there to the Pennar river and finally to the Cauvery in the tail end of Tamil Nadu. Through this project, 500-600 tmcft of water will be made available to Tamil Nadu.

“The quarrel between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka is only for 40 tmcft,” he said jokingly, looking at the dignitaries on the dais, including Karnataka’s Agriculture Minister NH Shivashankara Reddy. Gadkari today met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edapaddi K Palaniswami to discuss various road and port projects in the State.

Palaniswami, who holds the Highways and Minor Ports portfolio, presented a memorandum to Gadkari on various projects in the State, a government release said.