Punjab, Rajasthan, and Haryana are facing a major water crisis. Union Water Resources Minister, Nitin Gadkari said that the crisis can be solved using the water from rivers flowing to Pakistan.
The government, Gadkari said has introduced a new scheme. In this scheme, the water will reach farmers through technology using a pipe system and not canals. The scheme will avoid the land acquisition costs of up to 6,000 crores for the government. During the inaugural address at the Confederation of Indian Industry’s event.
In the case of the Godavari where 3000 tmc of water flows into the sea, Gadkari said that a dam was going to be constructed at Polavaram in Andhra Pradesh. The project will cost more than 60,000 crores for controlling the flow of the Indravati river, Godavari’s tributary into the main river. He said that the water from this point will continue till the end of Tamil Nadu through a pipeline that is as long as 1,300 km. Through this project, Tamil Nadu will be assured 450 tmc of water.
Gadkari also holds the portfolios of road, transport, and shipping, so he said that the government is keen on utilising the Karwar port in Karnataka. It will spend 3,000 crores on the port if the state government is open to the idea. He also spoke about water transport and said that the government will be supporting seaplanes and will be tying up with HAL to produce them. 10,000 seaplanes will be expected in 2 years.
Gadkari encouraged the reduction of pollution levels by urging vehicle companies to make automobiles that run on electricity and alternative fuels like agriculture waste, Methanol, and Ethanol. He said that this would be the future. He also mentioned the various road projects that were in progress in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The plans proposed, sound great on paper and are particularly ambitious but whether the goals will be met is another question altogether.