All states need to cooperate to interlink rivers across the country: Jal Shakti minister

Stating the example of the water-sharing dispute in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, Shekhawat said each of these states can get more water if nine identified river links are joined.

Making a stronger push for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s key project to interlink rivers, Union Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Tuesday called for cooperation among states to arrive at a consensus for its implementation across the country. He informed that the Union government is preparing detailed reports on projects to link 31 rivers in the country.

Shekhawat, who was in Mumbai to attend a global investors’ summit, said that there will be “effective progress” on interlinking of rivers in the next five years if all the states cooperate on the issue. He said that water and energy are state subjects and thus the Centre cannot force the states to comply with them on the issue. [Readmore]