GOVT. PLANS GODAVARI-CAUVERY INTERLINKING

GS 3: Economy | Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, and Railways etc.

Why in news?

Union Ministry for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources has revealed Detailed Project Report (DPR) to take the backwaters of the Godavari up to the Cauvery river in Tamil Nadu.

Godavari-Cauvery Interlinking:

  • The DPR for the river inter-linking project has already been prepared and is in the process of being submitted to the Cabinet. It is estimated to cost ₹60,000 crore.
  • 1,100 tmcft of the backwater of the Godavari river was going into the sea and there was a dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over 45 tmcft of it.
  • To solve the crisis, the Centre has decided to link up the above rivers.
  • Once the Cabinet gives its nod, funds will be raised from the World Bank or the Asian Development Bank.
  • It will mitigate the scarcity of water in A.P., Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
  • It was former PM Vajpayee who conceived the idea of linking rivers from Ganga to Cauvery.

Significance:

The backwaters will be carried through Krishna and Penna using steel pipes instead of developing canals en route as suggested by a non-resident engineer from Andhra Pradesh.By doing so, wastage of water from canals could be prevented and overall cost reduced.

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