Tamil Nadu govt's bid to seek external aid for Cauvery project awaits Central nod

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has been waiting for nearly three years for the Union Jal Shakti ministry (Central Water Commission or CWC) to allow it to seek external aid for its Rs 1,825 crore project to modernise the age-old irrigation system of Cauvery's distributary Vennar and its sub-basin but in vain.

The project is getting delayed as the Ministry of Jal Shakti has been sitting on TN's proposal for 'Climate Adaptation in Vennar Sub Basin in Cauvery Delta Project-II' since September 2021, a highly placed source in the State government told DT Next.

After completing phase one at Rs 1,110 crore, covering a part of the Vennar sub-basin, with loan assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the TN government decided to implement phase two at Rs 1,825 crore to improve the distribution of water for irrigation and prevent seawater intrusion in the Vennar sub-basin.

The project involved the construction of additional tail-end regulators, reconstruction and rehabilitation of all the existing tail-end regulators and improving the drains by desilting and widening the channels.

The TN government sought clearance from the Department of Economic Affairs of the Union Government to avail of external assistance from ADB for the project. The department, in turn, forwarded it to the NITI Aayog and the Jal Shakthi for its accord.

"The NITI Aayog responded positively in September 2022," said a senior bureaucrat and noted there was multiple communication between the Union Ministry and the Water Resources Department (WRD) regarding the project in the last two years.

Apart from this, the State WRD wrote to the Union Minister of Jal Shakti in February this year to expedite the clearance process. "Minister (Duraimurugan) submitted a memorandum to Jal Shakti Minister (CR Paatil) during his Delhi visit in July this year and requested him not to delay it anymore," said an official.

He, however, said there was "no communication" from the Jal Shakti ministry to date.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka government aired its opposition to the project, presuming that TN enhance the storage capacity, and even made a reference to the project in one of its cases in the Supreme Court over the inter-state water dispute, said the official and noted it might be a factor that the Jal Shakti ministry is not forthcoming to give its consent.

KNOW THE PROJECT:

Phase I:

Status: Implemented

Rs 1,110 cr: Cost involved

78,000 ha: Area of ayacuts benefitted

Dists: To benefit Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam

Phase II:

Status: Yet to start

Rs 1,825 cr: Cost estimated

Covered: Six rivers – Vennar, Pamaniyar, Koraiyur, Kaduvaiyar, Marakkakoraiyar & Manankondanar – and six pumping schemes

Dists: Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Pudukottai and Thanjavur