CHENNAI: The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) on Tuesday decided to send a team to Karnataka to check and review the water situation in the Cauvery basin before passing an order on TN’s plea for Cauvery water. At the 31st meeting of CWMA, officials heard submissions from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu governments against the order of the 97th CWRC meeting held on June 14.
Tamil Nadu urged CWMA to direct Karnataka government to release 5.37 tmcftft of water to address the deficit at Billigundulu as of Monday. However, Karnataka submitted that there is 70% deficit in its four major reservoirs currently and it would be difficult to comply with any order. The cumulative inflow into four reservoirs of Karnataka from June 1 to June 24 was 7.307 tmcft, against the last 30 years average inflow in the same period of 24.45 tmcft.
According to officials, Biligundlu has received less than 2 tmcft as against 5.37 tmcft as on June 24. Additional chief secretary Sandeep Saxena emphasised the need for Karnataka to adhere to the Supreme Court’s judgment, which mandates the release of 31.24 tmcft of water in July.
Tamil Nadu has demanded that Karnataka to be directed to ensure 5.37 tmcft deficit flows at Biligundlu as on June 24 and also to ensure the flows for the remaining period of June and 31.24 tmcft for July as per the schedule modified by the Supreme Court. Saxena pointed out that from June 1 to 24, Billigundulu received only 1.99 tmcft of water.
Saxena pointed out that Mettur reservoir’s current storage is 12.49 tmcft, with only about 2 tmcft available for use. As around 1,000 cusecs is being released daily for drinking water and environmental needs, the reservoir could not be opened for irrigation as scheduled on June 12.