This is the most opportune time for the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister to rise above politics and convene a tri-States meeting to find a permanent solution to the Cauvery issue, said Dharmalingam Venugopal of the Nilgiris Documentation Centre.
Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka are enjoined by nature and share a common antiquity interlinked by history, culture and economic development. Till the Reorganisation of States in 1956, they were one single entity under the Madras Presidency. The states enjoy the benefit of both the South-West and the North East monsoons and occupy the major portion of the Western Ghats which produce most of the rivers of south India. These waters are enough to feed most of India.
Sir Arthur Cotton, the legendary British dam builder wrote, “There is no country in the world where the reasons causing a drought are so few and where the means of overcoming such conditions are so extensively within the power of the government as in the Madras territories”. John Sullivan, the founder of modern Nilgiris, who was then the Member of Governor’s Council in charge of irrigation said, “So long as one drop of water is allowed to run waste into the sea, we must take the blame to ourselves for not taking our best efforts to prevent the evils of scarcity and famine”.
The three states had produced visionary leaders and engineers who had pioneered path-breaking irrigation projects in the past. The Chief Minister should immediately take the initiative to convene a tri-States meeting to explore all possibilities for a lasting solution to the water problems of the three states based on mutual benefit and cooperation. Science and technology and global cooperation have opened up immense possibilities in irrigation and water management. The water needs of these fast developing states, which account for one fifth of the national GDP, are bound to increase manifold in the future. At the same time, emerging threats like climate change, El Nino etc could pose huge challenges to them.
Ooty, where the three States meet, would be an ideal venue to hold the meeting. The first meeting over sharing Cauvery waters was held in Ooty in 1890 which was later followed by two other meetings in 1922 and 1929.
Published – August 06, 2026 05:33 pm IST
