CHENNAI: Hours after Karnataka refused to release 15,000 cusecs of water as decided by the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee (CWRC) on Thursday, state water resources minister Duraimurugan on Friday said Tamil Nadu will move the Supreme Court soon to get its share of Cauvery water from Karnataka.
The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) at a meeting held in New Delhi on Friday reduced the quantum of water to be released to TN to 10,000 cusecs from 15,000 cusecs without giving any reason.
Earlier in the day, a TN officials’ team led by water resources secretary Sandeep Saxena staged a walkout from the CWMA meeting in protest against the authority’s decision to reduce the quantum of water to be released to TN.
On Friday, the Karnataka government took a tough stand and said it cannot release 15,000 cusecs as ordered by the CWRC but only 8,000 cusecs that too only till August 22. “The decision that was arrived at was that Karnataka must ensure TN gets 15,000 cusecs of water at Billigundulu for 15 days,” TN officials said.
Water in four Karnataka reservoirs at 82% storage level, says Duraimurugan
“BUT Karnataka members didn’t agree to it at the CWMA meeting and said they would release only 8,000 cusecs. Under threat from Karnataka, without giving any justification, CWMA wanted to reduce the quantum to 10,000 cusecs. The TN team didn’t want to be part of such an arbitrary decision taken under threat from Karnataka.
Hence our team staged a walkout,” official sources said. Duraimurugan, in a statement, said from June 1 till August 11, Karnataka should have released 53.7703 tmcft of water to Tamil Nadu. But the neighbouring state has so far released just 15.7993 tmcft leaving a deficit of 37.9710 tmcft. “As a result, the standing crops have started withering.
Despite requests from Chief Minister MK Stalin and me, the CWMA and CWRC did not come forward to discharge their duties in ensuring the release of water due to Tamil Nadu. But after much insistence, at a meeting of the CWRC meeting on Thursday, it was unanimously decided that 15,000 cusecs of water will be released to Tamil Nadu.
However, Karnataka changed its stand within a day and held that only 8,000 cusecs could be released till August 22,” the minister said. Duraimurugan also pointed out that the total storage in the four dams in Karnataka stood at 93.535 tmcft against their total capacity of 114.571 tmcft, which is 82% of the total capacity. But Karnataka does not have the mindset to release water to Tamil Nadu.
“It is highly regrettable that the Karnataka government has been taking such a stand since the origin of the Cauvery dispute,” he said. Meanwhile, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss condemned the Karnataka government. He said since the CWMA has no authority to take action against Karnataka when it defies its orders, the control over dams built across the Cauvery should be given to the CWMA so that it can direct the release of water to riparian states.