BENGALURU:
Karnataka’s petition challenging the direction to release 6,000 cusecs of Cauvery water daily to Tamil Nadu is scheduled to come up before the Supreme Court on Monday, September 14.
Karnataka Water Resources Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy said on Friday that the state had approached the Supreme Court against the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s direction.
The CWMA had on Tuesday upheld the recommendation of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee directing Karnataka to ensure a flow of 6,000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu for 15 days.
Chaluvarayaswamy said Karnataka had continued releasing water to Tamil Nadu until the matter could be taken up by the Supreme Court, following legal advice. He said directly approaching the court in violation of the CWRC order could have affected the state’s case.
The minister maintained that Karnataka was facing an acute water shortage and said the current year had seen the least quantity of water released to Tamil Nadu in two decades.
He said the state government was trying to protect the interests of its farmers while complying with court directions within the federal framework.
According to the minister, water was being supplied to farmers on a rotational basis, while the government was also working to fill lakes and tanks. He said sufficient water would be reserved in the four major reservoirs in the Cauvery basin to meet drinking water requirements between December and June.
Chaluvarayaswamy said Karnataka’s officials and legal team would present their arguments before the Supreme Court. He also said the government did not want to engage in political mudslinging over the Cauvery issue.
He urged BJP MPs from Karnataka and Union ministers to work towards securing the Centre’s approval for the Mahadayi and Mekedatu projects, which he described as measures that could provide a permanent solution to Karnataka’s water-related concerns.
The minister said discussions had already been held with Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil on the Mekedatu project and expressed confidence that approval would be obtained soon.
On cloud seeding being undertaken in Karnataka, Chaluvarayaswamy said the initial phase had not produced the expected results, but expressed hope that favourable weather after the Gauri-Ganesha festival would improve the outcome.