BENGALURU/MYSURU: The Cauvery Water Management Authority’s direction to the state government to release water to Tamil Nadu if there is an increase in inflow into reservoirs in Cauvery basin in the state, comes as a relief for Karnataka. “Given the current situation in the state, the CWMA order is a big relief for the state,” said a senior officer from the Water Resources Department.
As on Tuesday, just around 12 tmc feet of water was available in all four reservoirs including KRS and Kabini. Inflow at KRS was just around 253 cusecs, while it was 1,708 cusecs at Kabini, on Tuesday.
State Sugar Cane Growers Association president Kurbur Shantha Kumar welcomed the authority’s decision. He said the authority should have ordered for release of water to irrigation canals to save standing crops. KRRS leader Darshan Puttannaiah too welcomed the authority’s directions.
While some farmers felt there is no clarity on release of water to irrigation canals in the state, some were unhappy as the state failed to convince the authority to get water for standing crops in the state. “When they could release enough water during the Lok Sabha polls, why are they not giving water now?” ask farmers. BJP Raitha Morcha leader Nanjunde Gowda said the state government failed to apprise the authority of the situation.