Cauvery River Contention & Other Major Inter-State Water Disputes

Inter-state water disputes have only increased in recent times. There are eight such major disputes in the country.

People take part in a rally calling for a Karnataka bandh condemning the Mahadayi Water dispute tribunal order in Bengaluru on July 30, 2016. (Photo: IANS)

With river water being an important source of irrigation in various states, Inter-State river water disputes have only increased. The Cauvery dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu has once again reached the Supreme Court. But what are the major such disputes in the country?

Inter-State River Water Disputes

The inter-state river water disputes are governed by the Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956. If a State Government makes a request regarding any water dispute and the Central Government is of the opinion that the water dispute cannot be settled by negotiations, then a Water Disputes Tribunal is constituted for the adjudication of the water dispute.

This act was further amended in 2002 to include the major recommendations of ‘The Sarkaria Commission’. The amendments mandated a one year time frame to set-up the water disputes tribunal and also a 3-year time frame to give a decision.

List of Major Inter-State Water Disputes

Below is the list of major inter-state water disputes as per the information shared by the Government in the Lok Sabha.

Other Inter-State Water Disputes

Apart from the above mentioned disputes, the following are the other inter-state water disputes

• Indirasagar (Polavaram) Project, Andhra Pradesh
  
• Babhali Barrage Issue
  
• Mulla Periyar Dam Issue
  

It also must be noted that there are occasions where the states had resolved their disputes on water sharing or joint projects through mutual discussions and agreements with/without the direct intervention of the Central Government.

As per information available in central water commission publication “Agreements on Inter-State Rivers of Legal Instruments on Rivers In India”, about 114 inter-state agreements have been reached so far.

(This article was originally published in Factly.)