GODAVARI-KRISHNA-CAUVERY LINK

• Tamil Nadu has reiterated its demand to shift the terminal point of the proposed Godavari-Krishna-Pennar-Palar-Cauvery link from the Grand Anicut to Kattalai barrage.
• Reiterating this at a meeting of a Special Committee on Interlinking of Rivers in New Delhi earlier this week, Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan argued that the change would be more helpful in supply of water to the needy areas of the State for optimum utilisation than what had been proposed by the National Water Development Agency (NWDA).
• In a reply given on Thursday, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha that detailed project reports had been completed for the links — Krishna (Nagarjunasagar)-Pennar (Somasila) and the Pennar (Somasila)–Cauvery (Grand Anicut or “Kallanai”).
• The Minister told the The Hindu that he had pointed out during the meeting that anticipating the link for the Cauvery, the barrage had been constructed near Mayanur in Karur district many years ago [the execution of which was taken up during 2008-14], so that water could be taken in the next phase [Cauvery-Vaigai-Gundar link] to dry areas of southern Tamil Nadu.
• “I had also emphasised that Tamil Nadu, being in the tail of the system of the links of rivers, should be assured of its quota of water.”
• It has been Tamil Nadu’s case that the quantum of water proposed to be transferred to the State should be increased from 84 tmc ft to 200 tmc ft in phase-I itself, “since it is a water-deficit State.” The link should be at a higher contour than what has been planned.
• According to the Central government, the Special Committee, since its constitution in September 2014, has held 20 meetings.
• An official said along with the panel’s event, the annual general meeting of the NWDA took place. After this year’s Union budget talked of the project, four consultation meetings were held.

SOURCE: THE HINDU, THE ECONOMIC TIMES, PIB