Andhra CM Pushes Godavari-Cauvery River Link as National Project
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has urged the Union Government to treat the Godavari-Cauvery river-linking project as a national programme, similar to inter-State river-linking schemes already under way in northern and central India.
Speaking on June 25 at a function organised by the Karnataka government, the Water Resources Department, and the Tungabhadra Board in Munirabad, Koppal district, Mr. Naidu emphasised that river-linking is essential for addressing the country's recurring water crises, which see floods in some regions and droughts in others.
The Union Government has already advanced projects such as the Ken-Betwa link between Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, and the Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal link involving Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Mr. Naidu argued that a similar national approach should be adopted for the southern project.
He stressed that the river-linking exercise must fully protect the water rights and interests of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. At the same time, he called for a broader action plan to carry water to deficit regions and potentially extend benefits further south to Tamil Nadu.
“Inter-linking of rivers is the only sustainable answer to the simultaneous challenges of flood and drought,” Mr. Naidu said, noting that while some river basins see excess flow during monsoon, others face acute shortages. Transferring surplus water to deficit basins would reduce distress, improve irrigation security, and minimise inter-State conflicts over water, he added.
Referring to the current year's weak inflows into reservoirs such as Tungabhadra and Almatti, Mr. Naidu said the need for a larger national water management strategy has become even more urgent.
He recalled an example of inter-State cooperation from 1983, when the then undivided Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra worked together to provide water to Chennai. That experience, he said, demonstrated that large water-sharing arrangements are possible when States cooperate.
Expressing confidence in the Union Government's ability to push such a programme, Mr. Naidu noted the country's rapid progress in technology, highways, and telecommunications, and voiced hope that river-linking too could advance under present national leadership.
The event was attended by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, and Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil.
