Chennai: Thanks to copious rainfall in Cauvery catchment areas, Karnataka Irrigation Department authorities have started releasing water from KRS Dam in Srirangapatna Taluk to Tamilnadu.
Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Ltd.(CNNL) Superintending Engineer Vijaykumar said, “Following a Supreme Court order directing Karnataka to release 31.3 TMC of water to Tamilnadu in the month of July, 3,500 cusecs of water is being released from KRS Dam to Tamilnadu on a daily basis.”
It is to be noted that Tamilnadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami opened the sluices of Mettur reservoirs on 12 June, the customary date for release of Cauvery water to the delta districts.
Tamilnadu had recently urged its neighbour Karnataka to release its share of Cauvery water for June and July immediately. TN’s contention is that the upper riparian State supplied only nine tmcft of water till date.
The issue was raised during the 30th meeting of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee held through videoconferencing. Speaking at the meeting, Tamilnadu representative and PWD Chief Engineer (Trichy region) S Ramamurthy said, ‘The State’s entitlement of nine tmcft for June and 32tmcft for July should be supplied immediately.’
The meeting was attended by representatives of Kerala, Karnataka and Puducherry. It was chaired by committee Chairman Navin Kumar.
According to Taminadu, the demand should be considered since there is a requirement of water for kuruvai (short term crop) and samba (long term crop) cultivation that has already begun in the State, with water being released from Mettur reservoir from 12 June, for the first time in the last nine years.