Cauvery water dispute: CWRC recommends 15-day water release from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu; check details
In an effort to address the contentious water-sharing issue and ensure compliance with recent directives, the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) recently convened a crucial meeting. One of the main points of contention was Tamil Nadu's demand for additional water release from Karnataka, which cited temporary constraints for its inability to comply.
FollowDuring the meeting held on August 28, 2023, several critical decisions were made. Initially, Tamil Nadu proposed factoring in a distress percentage of 22% based on rainfall deficit. However, the CWRC chairman emphasized that the link between rainfall and runoff shouldn't be direct. Karnataka's representative supported this sentiment, highlighting the need to consider distress levels as an influencing factor for water release.Â
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Additionally, Tamil Nadu requested a continuous release of 24,000 cusecs from the Biligondlu reservoir for another 10 days. In response, the CWRC proposed a counteroffer of 7200 cusecs. Another significant aspect raised by Karnataka was the equitable consideration for their efforts in reservoir storage augmentation by curtailing water release for irrigation, in contrast to Tamil Nadu's practices.
The outcome of the discussions led to the CWRC recommending Karnataka to release 5000 cusecs of water from the Biligondlu reservoir over the next 15 days, from August 29 to September 12, 2023. However, this decision encountered resistance. Karnataka expressed disagreement and challenged the CWRC order in the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA). Karnataka had already filed a review petition to modify the previous order.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu officials argued for the release of 50.10 TMC of water from June 1 to August 27, stating that Karnataka should have released 80 TMC by that time. However, Karnataka had only released 30.17 TMC, leaving a substantial gap.
These arguments and counterarguments were presented during the CWMA meeting, which took place virtually. Rakesh Singh, Additional Chief Secretary of the Water Resources Department, participated on behalf of the Development Office.
The CWMA ultimately upheld the CWRC's recommendation, ordering Karnataka to release 5000 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu for the next 15 days.
This decision marked the conclusion of the Cauvery River Authority meeting, with the compliance report set to be submitted to the Supreme Court by Friday. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the petitions from both states regarding the Cauvery dispute on Friday.
In conclusion, the recent meetings of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee and the subsequent Cauvery River Authority meeting have brought to light the intricacies of water sharing between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
