Context: The Karnataka Government has urged the Centre not to approve the proposal of Tamil Nadu for taking up Cauvery-Vaigai-Gundar link project.
Key Points

• Tamil Nadu has been going ahead with the Cauvery-Vaigai-Gundar link project, though the shares of co-basin states have not been decided which is inadmissible in law.

Karnataka Government stated

• Neither Telangana nor the Apex Council has a right to take up Lift Irrigation Projects, to draw large quantity of surplus water from the foreshore of Srisailam reservoir on the Krishna River.

Godavari Cauvery Interlinking Project

• The project envisages the diversion of 247 thousand million cubic feet of unutilized water in the Indravati sub-basin of the Godavari basin to meet the requirements between the Godavari and the Cauvery rivers.
• Water will be diverted from Godavari River to Nagarjuna Sagar dam (through lifting) and further south to meet the demands of Krishna, Pennar and Cauvery basins.

The link comprises three components namely

• The Godavari (Inchampalli/Janampet) – Krishna (Nagarjunasagar)
• The Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) – Pennar (Somasila)
• The Pennar (Somasila)–Cauvery.

Benefits of the project

• It will provide irrigation facilities to 3.45 to 5.04 lakh hectares in Nellore, Krishna, Guntur, and Chittoor districts of Andhra Pradesh.
• The backwaters will be carried through Krishna and Pennar using steel pipes instead of developing canals route.
• The wastage of water from canals through vaporisation could be prevented and overall cost will be reduced.

What is the Issue?

• Telangana has constructed of Rajiv Gandhi Sangama Banda barrage.
• Karnataka opposed the project.
• If remaining water is allowed to be utilized by the downstream states it will affect its claims for an equitable share in 2050.
• It has urged for removal of interstate difference in renewable energy tariff for creating level playing field.