Godavari–Cauvery link revived
The Godavari–Cauvery cascade is back on the Union government’s agenda. A Special Committee on Inter-linking of Rivers has circulated a revived draft notification and begun one-to-one talks with the five party-States, re-opening a debate that sits at the junction of engineering ambition, cooperative federalism and environmental prudence. Below is a step-wise, UPSC-oriented explainer—first on the live issue itself, then on every “static” handle the Commission can mine for questions.
Godavari–Cauvery link: what’s on the table now
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Concept & route – NWDA’s Detailed Project Report (DPR) splits the east-flowing transfer into three canals:
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Godavari (Inchampalli/Janampet) → Krishna (Nagarjunasagar)
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Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) → Pennar (Somasila)
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Pennar (Somasila) → Cauvery (Grand Anicut)
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Water to be moved – about 148 tmc ft of “surplus” Indravati sub-basin flows, earmarked chiefly for irrigation and drinking-water. State-wise tentative shares: AP 43.9 tmc, Telangana 45.1 tmc, Tamil Nadu 40.9 tmc, Karnataka 15 tmc, Puducherry 2.2 tmc.
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Why revived now? – Karnataka and Tamil Nadu pressed for quicker clearances; the Union Jal Shakti Ministry put the item on the July 2025 Special-Committee agenda, signalling intent to move from DPR to inter-State MoU and statutory clearances.
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Flash-points – Equity in allocation (Karnataka’s “rightful share” claim), environmental impact along fragile deltaic tracts, and concurrence under Art. 262/Entry 56 of List I. These are fertile angles for mains GS-II & III.
River-Interlinking Programme (National Perspective Plan)
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Launched 1980 to move water from surplus to deficit basins; now branded the National River Linking Project (NRLP). It envisages 30 links (14 Himalayan + 16 Peninsular) with ~35 million ha extra irrigation potential and 40 GW hydropower.
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Claimed benefits—flood moderation, drought-proofing, navigation, fishery—sit neatly under GS-III “Infrastructure / Irrigation”.
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Key challenges: social displacement, biodiversity loss, interstate/international riparian rights and a price tag > ₹5.6 lakh crore.
National Water Development Agency (NWDA)
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Autonomous society (1982) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti; prepares feasibility studies, DPRs and gets statutory clearances for each link.
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It also services the Special Committee on Inter-linking of Rivers, set up on Supreme Court directions (2012) to build political consensus.
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For the Godavari–Cauvery DPR, NWDA hosted inter-State consultations in Feb 2025 and circulated a revised draft in April 2025.
Peninsular vs Himalayan link components
Inter-State Water-Dispute Tribunals (legal safety-valve)
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Constitutional basis: Article 262 empowers Parliament to bar SC/HC jurisdiction and create tribunals; executed via the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956.
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Notable tribunals relevant to the current link: Godavari WDT (1969 award 1980), Krishna WDT-II (2004) and Cauvery WDT (1990 award 2007); their prior awards constrain new diversion designs.
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UPSC linkage: questions often test tribunal timelines, Article 262 vs. Art. 131 original jurisdiction, and the proposed single permanent tribunal amendment.
River-Basin Hydrology — the science behind the politics
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Drainage (river) basin = land area where all surface run-off converges to one outlet; bounded by a drainage divide. It is the natural planning unit for water-resources work.
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Catchment factors (size, shape, slope, soil, land-use) govern peak flows—hence canal dimensions and flood design for inter-basin transfers.
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India’s dichotomy: seasonal monsoon loading (~80 % rain in 4 months) + spatial skew (east & north surplus; west & south deficit) justify storage-plus-transfer strategies like NRLP.
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Hydrologic budget for each basin (P = Q + ET ± ΔS) is core theory for mains Geography/GS-I and optional papers.
