Karnataka has filed a petition in the Supreme Court on Tuesday seeking a review of the apex court order dated February 7, 2013, directing Karnataka to release 2.44 tmc of water to Tamil Nadu.
The petition, filed by Advocate-On-Record V N Raghupathy, averred that the SC had on February 7 considered the report of the 3-member expert team and rejected the contentions raised in the “response” with supporting affidavit of R Subramaniam circulated by TN. After rejecting the contention of TN, the SC passed the order directing Karnataka to “release 2.44 tmc to replenish Mettur for the purpose of standing crops in the Cauvery delta in TN.”
But, this court observed that “We are satisfied that the release of 2.44 tmc by Karnataka to Tamil Nadu shall not deprive Karnataka of its drinking water requirements for Bangalore.”
Karnataka had estimated the drinking water requirement as 11.60 tmc up to June 15, 2013, based on the total estimation of 23 tmc made by the CMC from October 15, 2012 at the rate of 2.90 tmc per month. If Karnataka were to fulfil the order of this court by fully releasing 2.44 tmc, the shortage in Karnataka would increase to 8.52 tmc (6.08 + 2.44 tmc). For that, pursuant to the order dated February 4, 2013, Tamil Nadu had already released from Mettur reservoir 4,195 cusecs on February 5, 2013, and 8,956 cusecs on February 6, 2013, totalling 13,151 cusecs (1.14 tmc).
The remaining water requirement of TN for the said area, as on February 6, 2013, would have been 1.30 tmc (2.44 tmc - 1.14 tmc). But, the live storage at Mettur as on February 6, 2013, was 8.463 tmc. Therefore, the remaining water of 1.30 tmc could have been or can be drawn from the Mettur reservoir, still leaving a stock of 7.163 tmc, Karnataka felt.