A MONUMENTAL ACHIEVEMENT: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam offers bagina to the Krishna at the Alamatti Dam, which he dedicated to the nation on Monday.

ALAMATTI (BIJAPUR DISTRICT): While voicing concern over the loss of life and property in floods, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Monday emphasised the need to have better water management that can make the country stronger.

Dr. Kalam said interlinking of rivers could minimise flood havoc and provide water to drought prone regions. The country was utilising very little quantity of water from the available 4,000 billion cubic metres. The country's food and water requirement had been growing because of the fast growing population. Only planned and better water management meet the challenge.

The President was addressing a gathering here after dedicating to the nation the Upper Krishna Project (UKP), including dam components of Alamatti and Narayanpur.

Bagina offered

Dr. Kalam, who was an hour behind schedule, drove straight to Alamatti Dam along with Governor T.N. Chaturvedi, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and Water Resources Minister K.S. Eshwarappa and offered "bagina" to the reservoir from the platform. Later at the function venue he pressed the remote button to unveil the dedication stone.

While recognising the immense irrigation potential of the UKP, the President praised the Government for ensuring rehabilitation of displaced families in a better way. Dr. Kalam was unhappy with the unusual delay of the UKP that was formally started in 1964. He said had the project been accomplished in time, the gain would have been immense. The nation lost a whopping Rs. 25,000 crore with regard to irrigation and another Rs. 8,000 crore in terms of power generation due to the inordinate delay, he said.

A fillip to the project

Mr. Kumaraswamy, in his keynote address, said the UKP received a fillip only after the formation of Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Ltd. in 1994. Of Rs. 8,743 crore spent so far, the contribution from the nigam stood at Rs. 7,880 crore. Of the 6.22 lakh hectares target (under UKP), the irrigation potential of 5.42 lakh hectares had been created, and the rest would be completed by March 2007, he said.

The Chief Minister said inter-State water disputes had been creating hurdles in expediting projects and urged the Centre to come out with a comprehensive water policy.

The Chief Minister said: "Water issues, of late, have become a cause for ugly political games. It is time to rise above politics and work for the benefit of the people.

"There is an urgent need today for better water management strategies, including policies of river water sharing between neighbouring States.''

Stating that the coalition government in the State was according priority to irrigation, he said the Government had provided Rs. 2,972 crore for completing 39 long-pending major irrigation projects.

Compared to the previous Government, the present dispensation had earmarked 44 per cent more funds for irrigation projects in the Krishna and Cauvery basins, he said.

Referring to the State's plan to raise the height of the Alamatti Dam to 524.25 metres, Mr. Yediyurappa appealed to the President to help in getting the Centre's permission.

He accused the Centre of bias against the State with regard to flood relief. The State had asked for Rs. 1,500 crore to take up flood and drought relief work but the Centre did not release even a rupee while being liberal to other States. The President should intervene in the matter, he added.

The former Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh was present.

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