Centre Will Launch Project To Desilt All Reservoirs Of Country, Says CR Patil; Chandrababu Calls For Intra-State River Linking

Koppal: Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Patil on Thursday said that the Centre would soon launch a project to remove silt from reservoirs across the country, as years of accumulation have significantly reduced their water storage capacity.

He spoke while participating in the inauguration of the newly installed 33 spillway gates at the Tungabhadra reservoir in Munirabad. "Because most reservoirs, including the Tungabhadra in Karnataka, have filled with 15% or more silt, their storage capacity has significantly reduced. The Jal Shakti Ministry is mulling a special project to desilt these reservoirs," Patil said.

He said the central government will provide technical assistance (to desilt reservoirs), and the respective state governments must bear the responsibility for implementation. "If we successfully implement the project, the storage capacity of our reservoirs will increase by 25 to 30 per cent," he added.

According to the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, just as the country is being connected through roads, the entire country is being connected through water projects, the Minister said. He opined that if more water is available to farmers, they will be able to grow two crops a year instead of one and this will double their income.​

He appealed to all states to properly implement 'Har Ghar Jal' to provide safe drinking water to villages. He also called upon people to draw their respective CMs' attention if the project is not implemented properly.

He appreciated the participation of the Chief Ministers of Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in the programme. "In the past, there were differences of opinion between these states on the issue of water sharing. But today, they are all on the same platform. Cooperation and financial assistance shared by the three states allowed us to install new gates in the Tungabhadra reservoir in just a few days," he added.

Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said that a detailed discussion was held with the Union Jal Shakti Minister regarding the proposal to construct a balancing reservoir across the Tungabhadra dam at Navali and also about removing silt from the Tungabhadra dam. "The Union Minister will soon make a formal announcement in this regard," he added.

Recalling the alarming situation that erupted after a crest gate of the Tungabhadra dam collapsed, releasing 35,000 cusecs of stored water and threatening to flood downstream areas, Shivakumar mentioned how a new gate was installed on a war footing within 10 to 15 days. "After this incident, all three states collectively decided to replace all crest gates and now it has become a reality," he said, thanking his Telangana and Andhra Pradesh counterparts.

Take up the Godavari-Cauvery river interlinking project on priority: Chandrababu Naidu

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu requested the Central Government to declare the Godavari and Cauvery river interlinking project a 'national project' and implement it immediately.

Linking rivers is an urgent matter to find a permanent solution to the country's water problem, and the Centre should act immediately, he said.

"We are witnessing some parts of the country facing floods while others are reeling under severe drought. This year, due to the influence of 'El Niño,' the Tungabhadra and Almatti reservoirs have not received the expected amount of water. In such a situation, the only way out is to link all the rivers of the country. Drought can be effectively dealt with by diverting water from rivers with surplus water to rivers with deficit water. This can completely prevent water conflicts between states, districts and farmers," Naidu said.

He said extreme care should be taken to ensure that no state is discriminated against in the river linking process. "The rights of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states must be fully protected. If necessary, arrangements should be made to carry water to Tamil Nadu as well," he said while recalling how in 1983, under the leadership of N.T. Rama Rao, undivided Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra came together to provide 15 TMC of water for Chennai's drinking needs.

Stating that the country is progressing rapidly in technology, highways and telecommunications under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Naidu expressed confidence that linking rivers will also succeed under Modi's leadership. Chandrababu Naidu called for intra-state river linking after the success of inter-state river linking.

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy expressed confidence that Union Minister C R Patil will provide a solution to the silt problem in the Tungabhadra reservoir. "We have had a detailed discussion with him in this regard. He (Patil) has assured all support and assistance," he said.

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