TN drags K’taka to SC for water release

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Monday moved the Supreme Court seeking a direction to Karnataka government to immediately release at least 24,000 cusecs of water as measured at Biligundlu, the inter-state border, to save the standing crop.
It also wanted the apex court to direct Karnataka to make good the shortfall of 28.849tmcft for the months of June and July, with a further direction to Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to ensure the directions were complied with.
Tamil Nadu has already petitioned the CWMA pointing out that the total storage in the four reservoirs of Karnataka, as on July 26, was 67tmcft, as against 30-year average of 80tmcft. It constitutes 84% of the net storage in these reservoirs. Similarly, the net inflows into the four reservoirs from June 1 to July 26 was 56.5tmcft, as against the 30- year average inflow of 111tmcft, constituting 51% of the inflows.
However, Tamil Nadu’s water realisation at the Biligundlu point was only 13%, it said, adding, “it is wholly unjustified and shows the unwillingness of Karnataka to release water till its reservoirs are nearly full. This action of Karnataka is not only in utter disregard to the judgment of the court, but also contrary to the scheme framed by the Union government,” the petition argued.
In its meeting held on July 31, the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC), the technical committee of the CWMA, had directed Karnataka to release 10,000 cusecs for the next seven days. Karnataka, however, failed to fully implement the direction. In its subsequent meeting on August 10, the committee directed Karnataka to ensure realization at Biligundlu is 15,000 cusecs for 15 days. This too has not been complied with, complained Tamil Nadu.
The government took up the issue in the CWMA meeting on August 11. “After long deliberations, the chairman of the authority stated that the directions of the CWRC shall be implemented by Karnataka through the chief secretary and proceeded to take up the next item in the agenda. At that stage, Karnataka expressed its inability to release 15,000 cusecs and instead offered only 8,000 cusecs. The Tamil Nadu government raised serious objection as to the arbitrary offer of reduction in the flows to 8,000 cusecs, in spite of CWRC having taken a conscious decision considering all aspects. However, the CMWA arbitrarily directed Karnataka to ensure releases so that flow of 10,000 cusecs is realized at Biligundlu for the next 15 days,” the petition said.
Even these directions to ensure releases from KRS and Kabini have not been complied with by Karnataka. The actual flow recorded at Biligundlu on August 11, 12, 13 and 14 was 6,148, 4,852, 4,453 and about 4,000 cusecs respectively, the state government said.