Centre To Soon Link Godavari And Cauvery: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari

Centre To Soon Link Godavari And Cauvery: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari
Linking Of Godavari, Cauvery: Nitin Gadkari said a detailed project report for linking rivers Godavari-Krishna-Pennar-Cauvery will soon be presented to the Cabinet.

All IndiaPress Trust of IndiaUpdated: January 21, 2019 07:32 pm IST

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Centre To Soon Link Godavari And Cauvery: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari
Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are locked in a dispute over sharing of the Cauvery river water for decades.

Amaravati: The Centre would soon take up a major project to link rivers Godavari and Cauvery that would resolve water issues between four southern states, Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari announced in Amaravati on Monday.
The objective of the project, expected to cost upto Rs 60,000 crore, was to make good use of about 1100 tmc ft of Godavari water that currently drained into the sea, he said, addressing a meeting of BJP workers in Amaravati.

"The detailed project report for linking rivers Godavari-Krishna-Pennar-Cauvery is ready. We will soon present it to the Cabinet for approval. Thereafter, we will raise finances for the project either from the World Bank or the Asian Development Bank as the project cost is about Rs 50,000 crore to Rs 60,000 crore," Mr Gadkari said.

The Godavari water would thus be taken to the tail end of Tamil Nadu, he said.

"Every year, about 1,100 tmc ft of Godavari water is going waste into the Bay of Bengal while there is a dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka... So we have taken the decision to take Godavari water to Tamil Nadu and that will resolve all water issues among four states," Mr Gadkari noted.

A special technology, suggested by a US-based AP engineer, of using steel pipes would be used for linking Godavari and Cauvery.


"Fight There, Not Here": Speaker Tells Lawmaker On Cauvery Water Dispute

"We have decided not to use canals as it results in water (evaporation) losses. Low thickness steel pipes with a special treatment will be used that will also save the project cost significantly," the Union Minister said.

Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are locked in a dispute over sharing of the Cauvery river water for decades.

Mr Gadkari reiterated that the Centre would spend "100 per cent" cost of the ongoing Polavaram multipurpose project.

"We have given a lot of priority to Polavaram and never discriminated against Andhra Pradesh. With the cooperation of the state government and 100 per cent Central funding, we are implementing the project in an expeditious manner," he said.

Mr Gadkari, however, regretted that the Chandrababu Naidu government was not giving any credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi or the Central government for such efforts.

Godavari and Cauvery River Interlinking Project

Godavari and Cauvery River Interlinking Project
11 Feb 2020 4 min read
Tags: GS Paper - 1Water ResourcesGovernment Policies & Interventions
Why in News
The National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has circulated a draft Detailed Project Report (DPR) on Godavari-Cauvery link project to the concerned states to elicit their views.

The project envisages the diversion of 247 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of unutilised water in the Indravati sub-basin of the Godavari basin to meet the requirements between the Godavari and the Cauvery rivers.
Water will be diverted from Godavari river to Nagarjuna Sagar dam(through lifting) and further south to meet the demands of Krishna, Pennar and Cauvery basins.
The Godavari - Cauvery link comprises three components namely,
the Godavari (Inchampalli/Janampet) - Krishna (Nagarjunasagar),
the Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) – Pennar (Somasila) and
the Pennar (Somasila)–Cauvery.
The project will provide irrigation facilities to 3.45 to 5.04 lakh hectares in Prakasam, Nellore, Krishna, Guntur, and Chittoor districts of Andhra Pradesh.
National Water Development Agency

NWDA is a registered society under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
It was set up in the year 1982 to carry out detailed studies, surveys and investigations in respect of the Peninsular Component of National Perspective for Water Resources Development, which envisages inter-basin water transfer.
Godavari River
Source: Godavari river rises from Trimbakeshwar near Nasik in Maharashtra and flows for a length of about 1465 km before outfalling into the Bay of Bengal.
Drainage Basin: The Godavari basin extends over states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha in addition to smaller parts in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Union territory of Puducherry.
Tributaries: Pravara, Purna, Manjra, Penganga, Wardha, Wainganga, Pranhita (combined flow of Wainganga, Penganga, Wardha), Indravati, Maner and the Sabri.
Krishna River
Source: It originates near Mahabaleshwar (Satara) in Maharashtra.
Drainage Basin: It runs from four states namely, Maharashtra, Karnataka,Telangana and Andhra Pradesh before emptying into the Bay of Bengal.
Tributaries: Tungabhadra, Mallaprabha, Koyna, Bhima, Ghataprabha, Yerla, Warna, Dindi, Musi and Dudhganga.
Nagarjunasagar dam is on the river Krishna.
Pennar River
Source: It rises in Nandi Hills in Chikballapur District of Karnataka and runs north and east before emptying into the Bay of Bengal.
Drainage Basin: It is 597 kilometres long, with a drainage basin covering 55,213 km2 in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Tributaries: Jayamangali, Kunderu, Sagileru,Chitravathi, Papagni and Cheyyeru.
Cauvery River
Source: The river rises on Brahmagiri Hill of the Western Ghats in southwestern Karnataka.
Drainage Basin: It flows in a southeasterly direction through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and descends the Eastern Ghats in a series of great falls. Before emptying into the Bay of Bengal south of Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, the river breaks into a large number of distributaries forming a wide delta called the “garden of southern India.”
Tributaries: Arkavathi, Hemavathi, Lakshmana Theertha, Shimsa, Kabini and Harangi.

What the Godavari-Krishna-Cauvery river-linking project is all about

What the Godavari-Krishna-Cauvery river-linking project is all about

https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/explainer-what-godavari-krishna-cauvery-river-linking-project-all-about-103003

Breaking down the controversy, and the peninsular river-linking project.

Explainer What the Godavari-Krishna-Cauvery river-linking project is all aboutCAUVERY RIVER/MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
NEWS RIVER-LINKING TUESDAY, JUNE 04, 2019 - 18:07
Manasa Rao Follow @manasarao

Days after the Lok Sabha election results, there was minor fracas on the internet over a tweet made the BJP’s Tamil Nadu wing. “My first job would be to link Godavari and Krishna and bring water to Tamil Nadu,” it quoted Union Minister Nitin Gadkari as saying. And the statement was followed up by a condescending note that although TN had rejected BJP, BJP will do its duty. Both parts of the tweet were roundly criticised; the first, by people who said Godavari and Krishna were already linked, and that river linking is not necessarily a good idea. And the second by people who pointed out that it was the job of the government to work for all people, and not just people who voted for a particular party.

While there is no argument with the second criticism – indeed, governments should not discriminate against people who may not agree with them, what about the first part? Are Krishna and Godavari already linked? What does this project have to do with Tamil Nadu, a state that neither river passes through?

And what do experts have to say about river-interlinking as a concept?


Godavari and Krishna interlinking

The proposal to link Godavari, which is prone to flooding, and Krishna, which doesn’t have enough water, has been around for several decades. While river-interlinking for the purposes of navigation as an idea was mooted by the British in India, in 1972, engineer and Union Minister KL Rao proposed the linking of Godavari and Krishna for irrigation.

The decades-old proposal finally took shape in the 2000s, and in 2016, the Andhra government linked the two rivers with the Pattiseema Lift Irrigation project, in Andhra’s West Godavari district. On September 15, 2016, the ‘flood water’ from Godavari was diverted to the Prakasam barrage on Krishna river, 124 km away. The project was designed to meet the irrigation and drinking water needs of drought-prone Rayalaseema region in the state.

The project in fact made it to the Limca Book of Records for being completed within a year, but has also been criticised by the CAG for ‘wasting funds.’



The plan for Tamil Nadu

Now, coming to Tamil Nadu. On the day of the Lok Sabha results, in an interview with English news channel Tiranga, Nitin Gadkari had said, “As we said in our manifesto, we will include a branch called Jal Shakti and PM Modi also mentioned this in a meeting recently that where water is less, water (can be transferred) from one basin into another. I am a minister of this branch and we are talking of joining the waters of Godavari and Cauvery.”

What he was referring to is the project to link major peninsular rivers, including the Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery – all of which originate in the Western Ghats and flow towards the east.

According to the feasibility report of the Cauvery Vaigai Gundar project by the National Water Development Agency, the river-linking envisages a diversion of surplus flows of the Mahanadi basin and the Godavari basin, to the water short Krishna, Pennar, Cauvery, Vaigai and Gundar basins in the South.

Basically, the plan is to divert 12,165 mm³ of water annually from Mahanadi to Godavari, through the Mahanadi-Godavari link canal. And then, from Godavari, 26,122 mm³ will be diverted to Krishna through three links – Inchampalli-Nagarjunasagar, Inchampalli-Pulichintala and Polavaram-Vijayawada.

Out of the water thus brought to Krishna, the project will divert 14,080 mm³ to Pennar through three link canals – Almatti-Pennar, Srisailam-Pennar and Nagarjunasagar-Somasila.

And from Pennar, a quantity of 8,565 mm³ of water will be diverted to Cauvery through the Somasila-Grand Anicut link.



The proposed river-link canal would traverse through the districts of Karur, Tiruchchirappalli, Pudukkottai, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram and Virudhunagar in Tamil Nadu, for a length of 255.60 km. In addition to enabling irrigation, the water is also supposed to provide for domestic and industrial water requirements.

What experts say

However, the new announcement by the Minister has once again sent alarm bells ringing among experts who have pointed out that the notion that the linking of rivers would mean more efficient distribution of water and reduction of flooding is fundamentally flawed.

Speaking to TNM, Professor S Janakarajan of the Madras Institute of Development Studies said that river-linking is not like plumbing work. “It’s not about disconnecting and connecting a pipe. Since the river linking project would amount to changing geography, ecological implications would be huge for the present and more so for the future generations,” he cautioned.

He also questioned the methodology used for the calculation of the supposed surplus, asking, “Surplus in the Godavari basin is reported to be 1,100 TMC ft. This raises questions: who calculated this surplus, when, where and using what methodology? Even if this surplus exists today, it may vanish tomorrow given the increasing demand for water. Surplus is not going to stay forever, it is a dynamic concept.”

“As per the original peninsular river link, first Mahanadhi should be linked Godavari. This should be the first phase. The second phase is linking Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery. Here, without completing the first phase, the second phase is attempted. This is the objection raised by the government of Telangana. The main argument to complete first phase is to get the surplus from Mahanadhi before diverting water from Godavari to other states. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments don't agree that there is surplus in Godavari. Where is the surplus emerging from? Can you divert the water without the consent of the riparian states, that too when they are facing acute water scarcity?” he asked.

In addition to these questions, the professor, who specialises in water and environmental issues, said that the lifting and pumping involved in the project would demand a lot of energy which may not be feasible to provide.

Karnataka, TN demand higher share of water from Godavari-Cauvery link project

Karnataka, TN demand higher share of water from Godavari-Cauvery link project

The governments of both states have asserted their rights to get a higher share of water from the project, which has been flagged as an ambitious one by the present central government.

Karnataka TN demand higher share of water from Godavari-Cauvery link projectFILE IMAGE
NEWS WATER TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2019 - 18:41
Megha Kaveri Follow @meghakaveri

The governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have demanded a higher water share from the proposed river interlinking project of Godavari and Cauvery. While Tamil Nadu has demanded that its share be increased from the current 83 tmcft to 200 tmcft, Karnataka has emphasised that it also has a rightful share in the water diverted from Godavari. 

The comments from both the state governments were obtained as an RTI response recently. The government of Tamil Nadu had submitted its comments on the draft of Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the interlinking proposal in September 2019 to the National Water Development Agency (NWDA). Among the comments, Tamil Nadu has requested the NWDA to increase the capacity of water holding at Tamil Nadu border to at least 200 tmcft in order to meet the growing drinking water needs of the people of Tamil Nadu. 

As per the DPR, 247 tmcft of water is proposed to be diverted from the Godavari basin to the Krishna basin under the project, of which 163 tmcft will be set aside for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The remaining water will be provided to Tamil Nadu. 


The BJP government had, immediately after the 2019-electoral victory, confirmed that water will be transferred from a place of excess to a place of deficit. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had stated in an interview that major peninsular rivers will be linked, including Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery. 

According to the feasibility report of the Cauvery Vaigai Gundar project by the MWDA, the river-linking project involves the diversion of surplus waters of the Mahanadi basin and the Godavari basin, to Krishna, Pennar, Cauvery, Vaigai and Gundar basins in the South, which suffer from water shortage. The plan is to divert water from Mahanadi to Godavari first and then from Godavari to Krishna, Pennar and Cauvery with a goal to help in wider irrigation of lands in the river basins. 

Read: Explainer: What the Godavari-Krishna-Cauvery river-linking project is all about

The government of Karnataka, meanwhile, has asserted its right to share in the water diverted from the Godavari river to the Krishna river, under the project. 

According to a response by the Karnataka Water Resource Department to the NWDA, filed on July 26, the Godavari Water Dispute Tribunal has endorsed the sharing of water diverted from Godavari basin among the riparian states of the Krishna river. Referring to the Tribunal’s award of 35 tmcft of water to Karnataka and Maharashtra from the 80 tmcft water transferred from Godavari basin to Krishna basic through the Polavaram project, the government of Karnataka stated that the Tribunal award also provided for sharing of any excess water that is being diverted from Godavari basin. 

“In view of all the above facts, it is very much clear that the Karnataka state has a rightful share in Krishna, Cauvery and Pennar basin on account of augmentation of water from Godavari river to these basins,” reads the RTI response. 

Experts, meanwhile, have cautioned against adverse ecological implications that would arise if the government went ahead with its plan to interlink the rivers. 

Srisailam dam hits critical 854 feet level

Srisailam dam hits critical 854 feet level
DC CORRESPONDENT
PublishedDec 8, 2014, 6:33 am ISTUpdatedMar 30, 2019, 8:30 am IST

Row over minimum draw down level persist in TS, AP ignore KRMB guidelines on water use
Two GOs issued by previous governments prohibit use of Srisailam waters below 854 ft except for drinking 
 Two GOs issued by previous governments prohibit use of Srisailam waters below 854 ft except for drinking 
Hyderabad: The controversial multi purpose Srisailam reservoir level on Sunday touched the Minimum Draw Down Level (MDDL) of 854 ft, forcing the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) to intervene in the matter as Telangana government is continuing to withdraw water for power generation and AP government is using the water for drinking and irrigation purposes.

The two GOs issued by previous governments clearly prohibit use of Srisailam waters below 854 ft except for drinking purposes.



Prinicipal secretary, irrigation, to government of AP, B. Adityanath Das, on Sunday told this newspaper that AP government was informing about the water utilisation from Srisailam to the KRMB from time to time.

“The GOs restrict use of water for power generation below 854 ft level. We found that the Telangana government, after using water for power generation, is pumping back the same water into the dam during non peak night time. If the water level goes below the MDDL, we will lodge a formal complaint,” Mr Adityanath Das said.

However, Telangana engineering in chief C. Muralidhar said, “We will go up to 834 ft level if necessary. There are no restrictions on power generation upto 834 ft level according to GO 233, which was again issued by the previous government.

If MDDL at 854 ft needs to be maintained, how can AP withdraw water for Pothireddypadu canal and HandriNeeva Lift schemes even today for irrigation in the name of drinking water?”

The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB), which is a constituent of AP Reorganisation Act, is now in a fix on reigning in both the states, especially the Telangana government, in making maximum use of available waters at Srisailam Dam.

“Unless I check the latest information and the complaints by respective states, I cannot comment on anything at this stage,” KRMB chairman S.K.G. Pandit told this newspaper on Sunday.

However, both the Telangana and AP governments are not responding to the draft policy guidelines framed by KRMB two months ago.

The KRMB, which is the monitoring agency for implementing the existing awards and the GOs on distribution of Krishna River waters for both the states, had prepared the guidelines.

Unless, both the governments respond to it, the Board has no powers to implement them. The Board, in its letter on October 24, had asked both the governments to adhere to the existing GOs till a new policy guidelines on operational systems are evolved.

Sources said both the governments have referred the draft to their legal departments to get their views and only then the matter will be put before their Chief Ministers.

While Telangana government is arguing that MDDL at Srisailam needs to be further reduced keeping in view the needs of Telangana, the AP government argues exactly opposite.

841 feet is the new magic figure for drawal

841 feet is the new magic figure for drawal
G Venkataramana RaoVIJAYAWADA, JULY 24, 2018 00:17 IST
UPDATED: JULY 24, 2018 00:17 IST
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State issues GO reducing level from 854 feet
With the water level in the Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy Srisailam Reservoir still 6.5 feet below the erstwhile magic figure or 854 feet, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s announcement that water would be released to the Pothireddypadu head regulator came as a surprise to many. The announcement is not as arbitrary as it may appear though.

The Rajasekhara Reddy government issued an order saying water from the Srisailam dam should not be drawn until the level reached 854 ft. According to the G.O., if the level fell below it, A.P. could not draw water for its Rayalaseema projects through Pothireddypadu.

No consensus

After bifurcation, the two States could not arrive at a consensus and began drawing water well before the level had reached the magic figure.

Last October, the Telangana government withdrew from the agreement to wait for 854 ft before drawing water. Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao wrote to the Centre that it withdrew “its consent to maintain the water level in Srisailam at 854 ft”.

The A.P. government however upstaged Telangana by issuing a G.O. dated February 23, 2017 and reducing the level for drawing water from the head regulator to 841 ft. It even sanctioned ₹17 crore to widen the approach channel of the regulator to draw water at that level.

2 lakh cusecs received

The Chief Minister’s announcement was thus well within the provisions of the G.O. The Srisailam reservoir received 2,19,368 cusecs on Sunday. Officials said if the inflows continued at the current rate, Srisailam would reach 885 ft within 10 days.

Godavari-Kaveri river linking project: Draft DPR

Godavari-Kaveri river linking project: Draft DPR for linking Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri ready
By: Pratishtha Nangia | Published: February 10, 2020 10:13:26 PM
Godavari-Kaveri river linking project update: The Narendra Modi government has made the draft Detailed Project Report (DPR) for linking the three rivers - Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri ready, said Rattan Lal Kataria, Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti & Social Justice and Empowerment in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.


he Godavari has been prone to flooding whereas Krishna, on the other hand, doesn’t have enough water.
Godavari-Kaveri river linking project update: The Narendra Modi government has made the draft Detailed Project Report (DPR) for linking the three rivers – Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri ready, said Rattan Lal Kataria, Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti & Social Justice and Empowerment in a written reply in Rajya Sabha. The minister said that the project to connect the rivers includes three links — Godavari (Inchampalli/Janampet)-Krishna (Nagarjunasagar), Krishna (Nagarjunasagar)-Pennar (Somasila) and Pennar (Somasila)-Cauvery (Grand Anicut). According to the draft DPR, around 247 TMC of water can be diverted from Godavari river to Nagarjunsagar dam through lifting and further south for meeting the demands of Krishna, Pennar and Cauvery basins.

“The cost of the project has been estimated as Rs 60,361 crore at the financial year 2018-19 price level by National Water Development Agency (NWDA),” the minister told the upper house. He further said that the stage of implementation of a project would be finalised only after the final DPR is prepared. This would be done with the consensus of the concerned states and only after the requisite statutory clearances are obtained. He also said that the pooling of resources will be decided after completion of the final DPR.

Meanwhile, the proposal for linking these rivers has been around for many years. The Godavari has been prone to flooding whereas Krishna, on the other hand, doesn’t have enough water. On September 15, 2016, water from the Godavari river was diverted to the Prakasam barrage on Krishna river, 124 km away.

Last year, Nitin Gadkari, the then Water Resources Minister had said that Godavari-Kaveri river linking project would resolve the water disputes of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The project will make use of 1,100 tmc ft water of Godavari which is currently being wasted by going directly into



DPR for Godavari-Cauvery link ready, says Gadkari
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTKARAIKAL, FEBRUARY 29, 2020 01:24 IST
UPDATED: FEBRUARY 29, 2020 05:10 IST
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Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari handing over a certificate to a candidate at the convocation of the NIT-Puducherry, in Karaikal on Friday.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari handing over a certificate to a candidate at the convocation of the NIT-Puducherry, in Karaikal on Friday.   | Photo Credit: Handout

‘Proposal entails investment of ₹60,000 cr. and will end water disputes’
A detailed project report entailing a massive investment of ₹60,000 crore to divert surplus water from the Godavari to the Cauvery via the Krishna and Pennar rivers, as part of the Polavaram Irrigation Project, has been prepared, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said on Friday.

The project for linking the inter-State rivers for a length of 1,252 km — 340 km in Telengana, 551 km in Andhra Pradesh and 361 km in Tamil Nadu — would be a lasting solution to the dispute among the riparian States over sharing the Cauvery river water, Mr. Gadkari said.

He was addressing graduands at the convocation ceremony of the National Institute of Technology Puducherry (NITPY) at Karaikal.

“The disputed quantum of water claimed [as entitlement] was much lesser than what would accrue to Tamil Nadu from the Polavaram project,” Mr. Gadkari said.

Seeking to explain that India was a rich country with poor people, Mr. Gadkari advocated research pursuits for students based on two philosophies: waste to wealth, and knowledge to wealth. To buttress this point, he cited the profitable social enterprises generating substantial wealth by converting sewage water into hydrogen fuel cell.

“The project to operate 400 buses in Maharashtra using bio-CNG, bio-diesel, methane gas sourced from vegetable and animal wastes and ethanol generated from sugarcane as replacement for petroleum products will save ₹60 crore a year,” he said.

Cost-effective power
He called for use of cost-effective power generated from integrated solar-wind plants, similar to the one at Kandla in Gujarat, for use in desalination plants by coastal States. Power generated at Kandla power plant was being sold for only ₹2.30 a unit whereas the desalination plants were purchasing power from conventional sources at ₹6.50 a unit. Also, when the operation of desalination plants were made viable through access to cheap power, the treated water after domestic use could be utilised for agriculture, Mr. Gadkari said.

Tamil Nadu was a rich State, he said and added that it needed appropriate policies and to focus on innovative research to convert knowledge into wealth and eradicate poverty.

“Knowledge, technology and resources alone would not suffice; there must be zeal and entrepreneurship,” the Union Minister told students, urging them to develop the attributes of team work and decision-making.

Mr. Gadkari joined Chief Minister of Puducherry V. Narayanasamy, Education Minister R. Kamalakannan and NITPY Director K. Sankaranarayanasamy in honouring medal winners and awarding degrees to 104 B.Tech graduands, eight M.Tech graduands and four Ph.D holders.

Administrative block
Earlier, Mr. Gadkari inaugurated the new administrative building of the NIT. The new building will house administrative offices, library, training and placement cell and an auditorium.

Presiding over the ceremony, Prof. Sankaranarayanasamy said laboratories developed at a cost of ₹12.38 crore for undertaking cutting-edge research would be put to use soon. A Solar Fish Dryer designed and fabricated by the NIT was donated to fishermen of Kottucherrymedu on the occasion.



Centre prepares draft DPR for linking Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri rivers
As per the draft DPR, around 247 TMC water can be diverted from Godavari river to Nagarjunsagar dam
Central government, Rivers, Godavari river, Krishna river, Kaveri river, Godavari (Inchampalli/Janampet)-Krishna (Nagarjunasagar), Krishna (Nagarjunasagar)-Pennar (Somasila), Pennar (Somasila)-Kaveri (Grand Anicut), Nagarjunsagar dam, Kaveri basins, National Water Development Agency, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
13 Feb 2020
The Central government has prepared the draft detailed project report (DPR) for linking three rivers – Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri.

The project includes three links -- Godavari (Inchampalli/Janampet)-Krishna (Nagarjunasagar), Krishna (Nagarjunasagar)-Pennar (Somasila) and Pennar (Somasila)-Kaveri (Grand Anicut). As per the draft DPR, around 247 TMC water can be diverted from Godavari river to Nagarjunsagar dam through lifting and further south for meeting the demands of Krishna, Pennar and Kaveri basins.

The cost of the project has been pegged at Rs 60,361 crore at FY19 price level by the National Water Development Agency (NWDA).The cost of the project has been pegged at Rs 60,361 crore at FY19 price level by the National Water Development Agency (NWDA).

The stage of implementation of a project will be finalised only after the final DPR is prepared. This will be done with consensus of the concerned states and only after the requisite statutory clearances are obtained.

The pooling of resources will be decided after completion of the final DPR. The Godavari-Kaveri river linking project will resolve water disputes of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The project will make use of 1,100 TMC ft water of Godavari river.

https://www.constructionweekonline.in/projects-tenders/12348-centre-prepares-draft-dpr-for-linking-godavari-krishna-kaveri-rivers