PM'S OPENING REMARKS AT THE FOURTH MEETING OF THE CAUVERY RIVER
AUTHORITY
Fourth meeting of the Cauvery River
Authority began under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister Shri
Atal Bihari Vajpayee, here today. Following is the text of the
opening remarks made by the PM at the meeting:-
``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.
