CHENNAI : Ahead of the meeting of the Cauvery Monitoring Committee (CMC) scheduled for May 28 at New Delhi, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Friday held detailed discussions on the present water level in the Mettur reservoir and the date on which the dam should be opened for irrigation purposes in the Cauvery delta areas.
The CM is likely to take a decision on opening the Mettur Dam within a couple of days. In the meantime, Jayalalithaa discussed the views to be expressed by the State government at the meeting of the CMC at New Delhi, in which Chief Secretary Debendranath Sarangi and PWD Secretary M Saikumar will be taking part.
During the meeting, the quantum of water to be released to Tamil Nadu and other issues would be deliberated. Irrigation Department officials from Karnataka would also be attending the CMC meeting at Delhi, which has been convened after the CM’s letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on May 20 urging him to immediately convene the meeting of the Cauvery River Authority (CRA) to finalise the Distress Sharing Formula with Karnataka on sharing Cauvery water during the distress period.
Between June and September, the crucial months for Kuruvai crop in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka should release 137 tmcft out of the 205 tmcft as per the Interim award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal. Of this, Karnataka should release 10 tmc in June and 45 tmc in July. All major reservoirs in Karnataka have only one third of water against their full capacity. The TN government moved the Supreme Court in March seeking urgent directions to restrain Karnataka from taking up summer irrigation.