CHENNAI: The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) on Friday brushed aside stiff opposition from Karnataka and upheld the September 26 directive of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) ordering release of 3,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu till October 15. Tamil Nadu officials had sought 12,500 cusecs for 15 days to save standing crops at the meeting.
Sources said Karnataka officials took a tough stand saying the upper riparian state was not in a position to release water to Tamil Nadu as water available in the four Cauvery basin reservoirs was insufficient to meet the irrigation and drinking water needs of several districts in Karnataka.
After the meeting, a Karnataka official told reporters that Tamil Nadu urged CWMA to direct Karnataka to release the backlog of 12 tmcft and 12,500 cusecs of water per day but the authority rejected the demands. Tamil Nadu has the advantage of northeast monsoon but Karnataka does not have that. Tamil Nadu also has groundwater but the state misuses it, the official claimed.
K’taka & TN neighbours, need each other: Min
Asked whether Karnataka would approach the Supreme Court, he said a decision would be taken by the end of the day after consulting legal experts and others. Meanwhile, pro-Kannada outfits and farmers’ organisations observed a bandh across the state to protest against the release of water. The Karnataka government declared many taluks as drought-hit and a sizeable number of them fall in the Cauvery basin.
Earlier in the day, the Tamil Nadu WRD Minister said though Karnataka released water as per the earlier order of the CWMA, it is not enough to save the standing crops in delta districts. The minister said despite having sufficient water, denying water to TN is totally unfair. In an interstate river, the tail-end areas should be given priority in sharing water for irrigation. Karnataka never accepted this.
The neighbouring state also refused to honour the orders of CWMA and SC,” he said, adding, “Karnataka and TN are neighbouring states. Thousands of Tamils live in Karnataka and thousands of Kannadigas live in TN. Only when both the states have cordiality and share affection, those who live in the other state can live without fear. We are not living in separate countries. We are just neighbours. Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar who deny water to Tamil Nadu are seasoned politicians and I have high regard for them,” Duraimurugan said.