Letter from Bangalore: 'Dynamic south' bogged down in water wars

The irony will hit anybody between the eyes. Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are back at their favourite pastime, quibbling over the sharing of waters from the River Krishna.

And, just as the Paragodu drinking water project controversy was raised by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Chan-drababu Naidu, timing it to boost a rather dull Telugu Desam Party's Mahanadu conference at Tirupathi, came a suggestion from a senior bureaucrat of Karnataka.

J.P. Sharma, additional chief secretary, told a standing committee of the Zonal council, that it would well be worth for the council to consider setting up an "economic zone of southern states."

The zonal council is no mean body. It has as its members the chief ministers of all the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Pondicherry. The once-in-three-months meeting is chaired by the deputy Prime Minister and union home minister.

Sharma's proposal was based on a concept that had been presented six years ago by the Confederation of Indian Industry(CII) called the "dynamic south." That no eyebrows were raised on his suggestion as it would have amounted to secession from the federal union, is only an indication of the maturity of democracy in India.

"The commonalities are much more among the southern states than the differences. If there is economic cooperation, it can help all the states. Each has leadership in one or more areas. The south is definitely far more cohesive, technologicially and economically, than any other part of the country. The synergy can be tremendous," said Sharma about the Hyderabad meeting that went unreported in the mainstream media.

"Why not," asked Sharma's senior colleague and Karnataka chief secretary, B.S. Patil. "Take this belt from Chennai to Coimbatore via Bangalore and Mysore. It could provide auto components to the world." Or, for that matter, the Tirupur in Tamil Nadu to Bellary in Karnataka belt where the garment industry thrives or horticulture crops in the belt from Karnataka's Bijapur to Hydera-bad.

The bureaucrats as well as a top official of the CII also quote the example of the Airbus Industrie, the consortium of European nations, which has pushed the American Boeing from a monopoly to nearly 50 per cent market share in world civil aviation.

In fact, they suggest that the natural resources of the southern states could be utilised jointly by all of them to, say, build infrastructure in the region. For instance, the power projects could be set up in the coastal belt or the colleries of Andhra Pradesh and lignite deposits in Tamil Nadu, instead of all the states investing billions of rupees in power projects.

So, how do these states resolve issues like the Paragodu drinking water project? Karnataka says it is taking just 1,300 cusecs (cubic feet per second) of water for drinking purposes around Kolar, the second most arid zone after Rajasthan.

Andhra Pradesh says it is infringing on its water meant for farmers of Ananthpur district.
"Once there is agreement on building and utilisation of infrastructure by all the states, these issues could be sorted out," says one bureaucrat who did not want to be identified.

So, who in the political class will take the initiative without being branded as acting against the interests of his or her respective state? Difficult question to answer given the political compulsions of regional party leaders Naidu of Telugu Desam and Jayaram Jayalalitha of the All India Anna DMK (AIADMK).

But, many in the political arena as well as industry circles believe that the one man who can rise above narrow mindedness is S.M. Krishna, Karna-taka's chief minister.

"If his political bosses in Delhi do not mistake his honest intentions for Karnataka as well as the entire south, he is the one who can act as a catalyst to formation of an economic zone of southern states," admits a senior Congress member of Parlia-ment, privately.

Clearly, the waters will begin to get tested once the CII updates its six year old "Dynamic South" document and presents it to Sharma and the standing committee of the Zonal council within the next few weeks.

Until then, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka will take their fight to the Supreme Court over sharing of waters at the Chitravathi valley of River Krishna near Kolar.