Mekedatu (File photo| EPS)
KARAIKAL: The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) will take a call on Mekedatu dam as per directions issued by the Supreme Court, said panel chairman Saumitra Kumar Haldar here on Tuesday. The CWMA along with the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWMC) earlier carried an inspection of rivers flowing through Karaikal.
Accompanied by PWD officials from Puducherry and Tamil Nadu, the team inspected the Central Water Commission (CWC) gauging stations of the rivers at the border between Karaikal and TN as well as those situated away from the border in TN.
On CWMA’s current stance on the conflict, the chairman told media, “The Karnataka government has proposed constructing a dam, and the Tamil Nadu government has approached the Supreme Court against it. If the court leaves the decision to us, then we’ll discuss it.”
Earlier, the CWMA-CWRC team heard the grievances of Karaikal farmers. P Rajenthiran, a representative of the Karaikal Regional Farmer’s Welfare Association, said, “The CWMA should ensure that it controls the management of the Cauvery. It should ensure that Karnataka shares water fixed for each month, and farmers receive water for kuruvai cultivation.” Tamil Nadu releases 7 tmc ft of water from the Cauvery to Puducherry each year for irrigation.
On whether the CWMA will recommend opening dams on time to facilitate irrigation in tail-end regions like Karaikal, Haldar remarked that farmers should learn to cultivate according to the time of rainfall and river discharge. He added that grievances over the CWC gauging stations in relation to the rivers will be looked into.
