BENGALURU: Deputy Chief Minister and Water Resources Minister DK Shivakumar told the media on Tuesday, “Due to some rain yesterday (Monday), 8,000 cusecs of inflow has come in today.’’ But some opposition leaders and Cauvery experts are not happy with his statement, saying he should not have publicly stated the inflows into the Cauvery river. This will trigger Tamil Nadu to pressure Karnataka to honour the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s order to release 3,000 cusecs daily to the neigbouring state, they pointed out.
Shivakumar also said, “A meeting has been scheduled with the Authority tomorrow (Wednesday). We have been asked to participate through video-conferencing.”
JDS senior leader and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy told TNIE, “Where 8,000 cusecs? The inflow to the KRS dam was around 3,500 cusecs on Monday and about 4,200 cusecs on Tuesday. He cannot go on the street and announce it. Tomorrow, what will he say before the Authority? What was the need to announce it before the media? I think he is trying to console people of Karnataka about sufficient water inflows. Anyway, the Authority has its own network to get inflow details.”
A senior expert was so incensed with Shivakumar’s statement that he said, “Where is the need to make the announcement at a time like this? If we make such statements, Tamil Nadu will obviously ask for water and Central authorities will instruct us to release water. Was it not naivete?”
Former water resources minister and BJP leader Govind Karjol said, “Remember, the southwest monsoon which gives us water is over. Now it is only the northeast monsoon and that will yield water to Tami Nadu and not so much to Karnataka.
We should take a clear stand and tell Cauvery authorities that we do not have enough for our own drinking water needs and have to cater to the demand from river basin cities and urban areas till the next monsoon. After the Cauvery Water Regulatory Authority meeting, there will be a Cauvery Water Management Authority meeting after a couple of days... We have to tell the Authority that we have not given water to our farmers even for their first crop.”