Southern Zonal Council: Shah urges early resolution of inter-state water disputes, pitches river-linking

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, addressing the 31st Southern Zonal Council meeting at Mamallapuram near Chennai on Thursday (August 20, 2026), called for early resolution of pending water-related issues concerning southern states. He proposed joint meetings involving the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Inter-State Council and the concerned states.

Shah said while protecting one's own state's interests is not wrong, if it results in other states being deprived of water for years, no actual interest is served. He advocated linking major rivers from the Brahmaputra in the northeast to the Cauvery and Godavari in peninsular India, saying this could ensure India faces no water shortage for the next 100 years and create multiple waterways.

Water emerged as a key and contentious issue at the meeting. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu pushed for greater inter-state cooperation and river-linking to address the region's long-term water needs. The Chief Ministers of Kerala, Karnataka and Telangana presented their respective states' claims and concerns. Southern states flagged long-pending inter-state disputes and competing demands over the Cauvery, Krishna, Godavari, Mullaperiyar and other river basins.