Nitin Gadkari hints at inter-linking rivers to meet Tamil Nadu’s water requirement

Delivering its verdict on the much awaited Cauvery water dispute on Friday, the Supreme Court increased the share of water for Karnataka and directed the state to release 177.25 tmc to Tamil Nadu instead of 192 TMC.

In 2007, both the states had approached the Supreme Court after the Cauvery River Water Dispute Tribunal after yearly allocation of 419 thousand million cubic feet of water in the entire Cauvery basin was given to Tamil Nadu, 270 tmc to Karnataka, 30 tmc to Kerala and 7 tmc to Puducherry.

Union minister Nitin Gadkari speaking after the verdict hinted at inter-linking rivers to meet Tamil Nadu’s water requirement.

Speaking to the media after the verdict, he said, “3,000 TMC water of Godavari submerges into the ocean. We are trying to bring in two projects with river connectivity. By stopping the Godavari water, we will connect Kaleshwar near Indravati to the dam in Telangana and then seek permission from the Maharashtra or Chhattisgarh governments Indravati water will be sent to the two dams that will be connected till Cauvery in Tamil Nadu."