BENGALURU: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has appealed to BJP leaders and farmers not to politicise the Cauvery issue. The state government has to go by the advice of its legal experts failing which, it will have to face serious consequences, he said.
Shivakumar’s appeal comes in the wake of BJP leaders and farmers demanding that the state government stop releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu with immediate effect. He said, “Tamil Nadu has sought 27 tmcft of water. We can’t decide things as per our wish.
The court won’t accept it. Recently, Tamil Nadu boycotted the Cauvery Water Management Authority meeting. Those who run the government must think about all aspects. We have to go by the opinion of legal experts. Else, we may have to face serious consequences. Is it prudent to get into a confrontation?”
Stating that the government is committed to protecting the interests of farmers, Shivakumar, who is also Minister for Water Resources, said he had allowed release of water twice to protect crops in the Cauvery basin in the state after he took charge. “With the weak monsoon, the reservoirs in the state’s Cauvery basin are getting poor inflow. Even in such distress, we are with our farmers. We have released water to Tamil Nadu as we have to respect law,” Shivakumar said.
On farmers planning to stage protests, he said it is their right and they can also approach courts. Minister for Agriculture N Chaluvarayaswamy said water will be released to Tamil Nadu based on its availability in the state’s reservoirs.
Bengaluru to receive less rainfall
THE district received only 11.6cm as against the normal rainfall of 21.1cm. Kodagu, which is the major source of water for KRS and Kabini reservoirs, recorded a rainfall deficit of 44%. As against the normal rainfall of 176.2cm, Kodagu received only 98.3cm so far.
The deficit in Hassan district is 37%. The district received 29.6cm as against the normal rainfall of 46.8cm. Similarly, Chikkaballapur district reported 32% rainfall deficit. It received 13.5cm as against the normal rainfall of 19.9cm, he said.
As per the “extended forecast”, Central Karnataka is likely to receive normal to slightly above normal rainfall from August 25 to 31. The NIK region is likely to witness normal rainfall. However, Kolar, Bengaluru Urban, Tumakuru and Chamarajanagar districts in the SIK region are likely to witness deficit rainfall with IMD predicting “slightly” below normal rainfall from August 25 to 31. Similarly, districts such as Bagalkot, Koppal and Gadag will also witness below normal rainfall during the period.
