TN seeks Rs 11,420 crore from Centre to improve irrigation efficiency in Cauvery basin

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

Tamil Nadu government has sought Rs 11,420 crore from the Union government to improve irrigation efficiency in Cauvery basin, according to Public Works Department sources.

PWD sources told Express that the state has already submitted a preliminary project to the Center and soon it will submit a detailed project report.

 Sources said that the funds would help improve the basin’s irrigation efficiency by 65 per cent. Interestingly, a similar proposal worth Rs 5,000 crore was mooted in 2009. Surprisingly, it covered only the delta region but now the state government is planning to implement the project across the entire Cauvery basin, the source said.

Meanwhile, the state is also likely to get Rs 1,560 crore Asian Development Bank loan under the climate change programme. The project would focus on coastal areas of Cauvery basin. Under the technical assistance, broad strategies have been developed for water resources related to climate change adaptation and the establishment of integrated water resources management (IWRM).

 Sources said that the Cauvery Sub-Basin is key for National Water Mission objectives and the government’s water resources reform agenda because it represents a sub-basin where IWRM can address the complex resources issues of groundwater exploitation and salinity ingress exacerbated by climate change, and since freshwater availability is restricted, there is potential to increase water use efficiencies.

According to sources, during the dry season farmers rely on groundwater to supplement surface water irrigation. Increased groundwater use has resulted in saline intrusion in a coastal strip of about 20km in Cauvery sub-basin. “Attempts have been made to reduce abstraction but saline intrusion continues and will increase under conditions of sea level rise. With no significant projected change in annual rainfall, groundwater recharge will be largely unchanged. In fact groundwater demand will likely increase to compensate for the weakening of the southwest monsoon. Over-extraction of groundwater will increase saline-affected areas and may also exacerbate natural ground settlement compounding the impact of rising sea levels,” sources added.