Chennai, Sept 26:
Tamil Nadu Congress president B Manickam Tagore has urged Karnataka to immediately release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, saying the accumulated shortfall could affect Samba cultivation in the Cauvery Delta.
In a statement, Tagore said Tamil Nadu was facing an accumulated deficit of around 20 TMC of Cauvery water. He said the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee had recommended that Karnataka release 4,000 cusecs a day to Tamil Nadu for 15 days from September 25.
According to Tagore, the Cauvery Water Management Authority subsequently accepted the recommendation and issued an order. Pointing out that the latest direction was 2,000 cusecs lower than an earlier order for 6,000 cusecs a day, he questioned Karnataka’s reported decision to challenge the order in the Supreme Court.
Tagore said the delay had already affected Kuruvai cultivation in Tamil Nadu and could now put Samba cultivation at risk if adequate water was not released.
He urged Karnataka to respect the decisions of the statutory Cauvery authorities and release the stipulated 4,000 cusecs without further delay. He also demanded that Karnataka make good the accumulated shortfall and release Tamil Nadu’s due share of Cauvery water.
With Samba cultivation under way, Tagore said any further delay in water release would put delta farmers under additional pressure.