New Delhi: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on February 5 appealed to Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to help find a lasting solution to the sharing of Cauvery waters "through mutual understanding and spirit of accommodation" and in overall national interests.

"Cauvery joins these two neighbouring states. Therefore, the issue of sharing its waters need not divide them," he said at a function at which he declared 2003 as a "Year of Freshwater".

Vajpayee, who heads the Cauvery River Authority (CRA), said at present the Centre was trying to amicably resolve the problem of sharing of Cauvery waters.

"Tamil Nadu's demand is reasonable. But at the same time Karnataka's demand is also not unreasonable," he said apparently referring to conflicting positions of the two states and the drought condition there.

Vajpayee's remarks assumes significance as they came almost a week ahead of the crucial meeting of the CRA on February 10 to resolve the vexed issue of distress sharing of waters on which both the states are at loggerheads.

Recalling his political career spread over half a century, Vajpayee said he had never thought that one day he would have to solve a water problem, sending peals of laughter.

The Prime Minister also used the occasion to make a veiled reference to the SYL (Sutlej-Yamuna Link) canal row between Punjab and Haryana by pointing to Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala sitting in the front row and saying that he could understand Chautala's "pain".

PTI