Former Prime Minister of India - Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Opening remarks of Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the 4th meeting of the Cauvery River Authority

I am pleased to welcome you all to the 4th meeting of the Cauvery River Authority.

We are meeting today when all the Cauvery basin states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pondicherry have had deficient rainfall during South-West monsoon.

As per IMD report, during the period 1st June to 14th August, 13 out of 27 districts in Karnataka, 25 out of 29 districts in Tamil Nadu, and 13 out of 14 districts of Kerala have had deficient to scanty rainfall.

Compared to the average of the last 11 years, the inflows into reservoirs have also been consequently less in all these States.

As a river authority it is incumbent upon us to ensure that interests of all basin States are looked after and the available waters are equitably distributed.

It is obvious that each State will have its own legitimate requirements. In times of plenty, the requirements of all the States will be naturally met. However, in times of shortage, there is no alternative to an equitable distribution of available water through mutual agreement.

Considering that the flow in the Cauvery basin is critical this year, the burden distress will need to be shared fairly.

I am confident that the member States will approach the issue in a spirit of cooperation and with a sense of mutual accommodation. This will help us arrive at a consensus.

In such matters, we should always be guided by the awareness that we are one nation and one people, united by many factors, including our sacred rivers.

I am sure we will live up to the people’s expectations from this Authority and take decisions which would be to the satisfaction of all the member States.

Friends, I take this opportunity also to express our shared concern over conservation and better utilization of available water. This issue is being seriously discussed in many governmental and non-governmental forums, both in India and abroad. It will also receive a sharp focus at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg, which began yesterday.

I believe that it is highly relevant in the context of inadequate rainfall in the Cauvery basin, and also elsewhere in India.

In some parts of our country, it is estimated that our canals lose nearly 70 per cent of the water before it reaches the user. We can ill afford this loss, year after year.

We should encourage our farmers to form Water Users’ Associations, for better management of canals, and for a more rational and democratic use of water. This will also expand the irrigated area for the same available amount of water. The success of Water Users’ Associations in some States should be replicated on a wider scale.

We also need to recharge our sources of ground water. I commend the efforts of the Governments of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in desilting of ponds in their States. This programme also deserves to be taken up in other States.

In this context, I would like the Ministry of Rural Development to quickly operationalise its recent decision to revive one lakh traditional sources of water in rural areas.

We shall now take up the agenda items. But before doing that, I would request the Chief Ministers to give their views.

Thank you.