Chennai: With the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee meeting tomorrow in New Delhi, expectation is running high in Tamilnadu if Karnataka will be told to release water for the State from the river.
According to reports, following this, the Cauvery Water Management Authority will be meeting 28 May.
The water dispute saw decades of negotiations between the parties. The Government of India then constituted a tribunal in 1990 to look into the matter. After hearing arguments of all the stakeholders for the next 16 years, the tribunal delivered its final verdict 5 February 2007. It allocated 419 tmc ft of water annually to Tamil Nadu and 270 tmc ft to Karnataka; 30 tmc ft to Kerala and 7 tmc ft to Puducherry.
Karnataka and Tamilnadu being the major stakeholders, Karnataka was ordered to release 192 tmc ft of water to Tamilnadu in a normal year from June to May.
With two monsoons failing in most parts of Tamilnadu, there is an urgent need for Cauvery water in the State. But Karnataka also claims that is in in the grip of severe drought. So, the Cauvery coming meetings are crucial for both States.