Cauvery dispute: DK Shivakumar holds review meet after CWMA order

Karnataka CM DK Shivakumar held a review meeting after the Cauvery Water Management Authority directed the state to release 3,500 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu. The Centre has also returned the Mekedatu project's DPR for revision.

Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday chaired a meeting to review the Cauvery water situation in the State in light of the recent orders of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA). According to the Karnataka Chief Minister's Office, the meeting was attended by Karnataka Deputy CM G Parameshwara, Water Resources Minister Ramalinga Reddy, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, Director General of Police (DGP) Saleem Ahmed, along with senior bureaucrats and police officers.

CWMA, which met in New Delhi on Thursday, upheld the recommendation of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee directing Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu, with a total release of 4 TMC recommended over 15 days.

Centre Returns Mekedatu Project DPR

Meanwhile, the Centre has returned the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the proposed Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir-cum-Drinking Water Project to the Karnataka Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Raj Bhushan Chaudhary informed Parliament. Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Chaudhary said, "The DPR submitted in 2019 has been returned to the project authority with the request to submit the revised DPR in compliance with the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal (CWDT) award and as per the extant CWC guidelines."

"The Government of India has taken note of the representations received from the Government of Tamil Nadu and farmers' organisations expressing concerns regarding the possible impacts of the proposed project on the Cauvery Delta region, including drinking water availability in other districts," he said.

While replying to a question asked by a Lok Sabha member, Chaudhary said, "Representations received in respect of any project are examined, as appropriate, during appraisal of the project in accordance with the applicable procedure."

Clarification on Riparian State Consent

In his reply, MoS also mentioned the Supreme Court judgment dated July 16, 2018 regarding the Cauvery water dispute; he said, "There is no mention that State of Karnataka has to obtain the consent of the other riparian states, namely Tamil Nadu, Kerala and UT of Puducherry, to construct any kind of structure across river Cauvery. Supreme Court in its order has found the Clause XVIII of Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal (CWDT) Award of 2007 appropriate and reiterated in its order that "Nothing in the order of this Tribunal shall impair the right or power or authority of any State to regulate within its boundaries the use of water or to enjoy the benefit of waters within that State in a manner not inconsistent with the order of this Tribunal."

Cauvery Water Management Scheme

"In exercise of the powers conferred by section 6A of Inter-State River Water Disputes (ISRWD) Act, 1956, the Central Government vide Gazette notification dated 01.06.2018 notified the Cauvery Water Management Scheme (CWMS), inter-alia, constituting the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC), to give effect to the decision of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, as modified by the Supreme Court in its Order dated February 16, 2018," he further added. (ANI)

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