New Delhi/Chitradurga: Supreme Court on Thursday asked Karnataka to respond within a week to Tamil Nadu ’s plea that it is short of about 21,000 million cubic (tmcft) feet of Cauvery water, even as chief minister DK Shivakumar said the state would appeal the order on releasing water to its neighbour.
Karnataka told the court it was facing a terrible drought situation with already over 200 taluks declared drought hit and had met its duties as the upper riparian state to the best of its ability.
Senior advocate Shyam Divan said entire districts had been declared drought-prone. “Yet, we have taken it on the chin and done our best to comply,” he added.
He also said Karnataka had realised 112.7 tmcft between June 1 and Sept 9. It had also drawn 19.3 tmcft through canals in the four reservoirs, 3.9 tmcft through Anaicut channels and 4 tmcft through diversion in Kabini dam, taking the total yield to 140 tmcft. Tamil Nadu is normally entitled to 97.4 tmcft but has got only 35 tmcft,” Vaidyanathan said.
In Chitradurga, Shivakumar said govt would release water if available, but reservoir inflows had stopped and the monsoon had weakened. “There is considerable pressure on us,” he said, adding that he would discuss with the irrigation minister before announcing the next step. He said drought-like conditions called for a clear plan to protect farmers and seek help from the Centre. For Tamil Nadu, senior advocate CS Vaidyanathan, accompanied by senior advocate G Umapathy, said neither the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) nor the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) had addressed the deficit owed by Karnataka. “Karnataka is usurping all the water, depriving us of our own,” he said, adding that the state‘s kharif crop had been affected. Divan, along with senior advocate Mohan Katarki, said CWMA, an expert body, was monitoring the situation regularly, including the live storage position of the designated reservoirs, the declining trend in gross inflows into the four reservoirs of Karnataka, rainfall activity in the next fortnight, drinking water flow, industrial and environmental flow, El Nino…
“They are directing the release of only low quantities. Karnataka has a sizeable quantity. Every factor is being considered,” Dican added.