HYDERABAD: Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, while supporting interlinking of rivers, has suggested a three-point formula to the Union water resources ministry for utilisation of river waters. The same formula was presented by irrigation minister T Harish Rao and irrigation special chief secretary SK Joshi at the National Water Development Agency Society meeting conducted by Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari. While noting the TS’ points, Gadkari said that an inter-state reconciliatory committee would be formed to resolve the river water disputes among states. He asked the state government to submit a list of issues it has with AP and Odisha within a month’s time.
“All the states have been asked to submit their issues with other states within one month. Later, an inter-state committee will be constituted to push interlinking of rivers,” sources said. The irrigation department will prepare the notes to be submitted to Gadkari after consulting Rao. The state will also submit a report to Gadkari on the water requirement for the existing and ongoing irrigation projects.
The formula: The CM’s three suggestions to the water ministry on interlinking of rivers are: First meet the in-basin needs. River waters should be used fully for the requirements of the lands within the basin of the state. Once the in-basin needs are met, then the water should be used meet the needs outside the basin but within the same state. For example, the Godavari waters will be diverted to Krishna basin in Telangana. If there are surplus waters in a river in the river basin of a particular state, then the surplus waters should be transferred to the deficit basin of another river. TS presented the same views on inter-basin transfer of waters before Brijesh Kumar Tribunal.