Think of interlinking rivers to solve river water disputes

"Such disputes are everywhere. River disputes are becoming more and more and we have to sit and decide as demand for water is increasing day by day. Rivers are national property. In coming days, we may have to think of interlinking them," BJP National Secretary Muralidhar Rao told reporters here.

He said river disputes between Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, New Delhi and Haryana as also Karnataka and Tamil Nadu (Cauvery dispute) are not state-specific.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee had declared interlinking of rivers as an ambitious project when he was Prime Minister, Rao said. "Government should work out on these things."

"Prime Minister Manmohan Singh must win the confidence of the people and be able to prevail," he said.

Rao said the demand of Tamil Nadu farmers' on getting due share of Cauvery river water from Karnataka, as directed by Cauvery River Authority, is "genuine."

Singh, also chairman of CRA, had on September 19 directed Karnataka to release 9,000 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu till October 15.