Bengaluru, July 10 (IANS) Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Friday criticised Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar for reportedly stating that Karnataka has given its consent to the proposed interlinking of the Krishna, Godavari and Cauvery rivers, questioning how the state could agree to such a project before its share of water had been determined.

Addressing the media in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy alleged that the Chief Minister was acting irresponsibly on a matter of vital importance to Karnataka’s irrigation interests.

Kumaraswamy said he has no objection to river-linking in principle, and the project should certainly be implemented. However, he added that before extending Karnataka’s consent, the government must first ascertain how much water has been allocated to the state under the project.

He claimed that the Chief Minister lacked adequate knowledge of Karnataka’s irrigation issues and had made statements without understanding the facts.

Taking a swipe at Shivakumar, Kumaraswamy remarked that river-linking and water-sharing cannot be handled the way one conducts real estate business in Bengaluru.

He said that if the Chief Minister was unfamiliar with the technical details, he should have consulted irrigation experts, engineers or the legal team representing Karnataka before making public statements.

Referring to the Chief Minister’s recent remarks in Belagavi that a decision had been taken on linking the Krishna, Godavari and Cauvery rivers and that Karnataka had already conveyed its consent, Kumaraswamy demanded clarification on the basis for such a statement.

He further alleged that the Chief Minister had become “overly generous” in matters concerning Karnataka’s water resources. Referring to the recent inauguration of the Tungabhadra reservoir crest gates by the Chief Ministers of three states, Kumaraswamy questioned why Karnataka was spending money while neighbouring states would benefit from the water.

He also criticised the Chief Minister for stating that discussions had been held with neighbouring states on desilting the Tungabhadra reservoir without consulting opposition parties or informing the people of Karnataka.

He also objected to the Chief Minister’s reported claim that the Union Government would declare the river-linking project a national project.

Kumaraswamy said they have no objection to the river-linking project itself, but the government must first tell Karnataka how much water the state will actually receive.

Kumaraswamy said the Chief Minister should first understand the history and present status of the river-linking proposal.

According to him, a Detailed Project Report (DPR) prepared in 2023 envisaged the utilisation of 247 TMC of water under the Krishna-Godavari-Cauvery river-linking project. Under that proposal, he claimed, Andhra Pradesh was to receive 90 TMC, while Telangana and Tamil Nadu were each allocated 60 TMC. Karnataka, he alleged, was initially not allotted any water.

He said that following sustained efforts by former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, Karnataka was later allocated 15 TMC of water from the Malaprabha River, with the condition that it be used only for drinking water.

Kumaraswamy asked how the Chief Minister could claim that Karnataka supports the project and is prepared to invest Rs 1 lakh crore, and on what basis he has made this statement.

The Union Minister questioned whether the proposal had been discussed by the Central Water Commission or the National Water Board before Karnataka’s consent was announced.

–IANS

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