Trichy, Tamil Nadu:

DMK Rajya Sabha member Tiruchi Siva on Sunday said that the Tamil Nadu government is seeking the Central government’s support to settle the ongoing Cauvery dispute with Karnataka amicably.

“As per the Supreme Court order and as per the (Cauvery) tribunal award Tamil Nadu government is trying all its efforts through legal process and in all possible manners seeking the support of the Union government and its Jal Shakti Minister as well as coordinating through all the possible sources to settle this issue amicably. We want only water for the farmers in Tamil Nadu not any dispute with any other state,” Mr Siva told ANI.

The Cauvery dispute between the two states intensified recently after farmers’ organisations in Karnataka started protesting the release of water to Tamil Nadu saying that there is not enough water in the state’s reservoirs due to insufficient rainfall in the Cauvery basin this year. 

Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) directed Karnataka to release 5,000 cusecs of water to its neighbouring state Tamil Nadu, for 15 days, effective from September 13. Though the Karnataka government challenged the direction of the Supreme Court it refused to intervene in the CWMA’s decision. 

“The Supreme Court has reemphasized that it cannot intervene in the award of the tribunal and Tamil Nadu should be given its due water from Cauvery,” Mr Siva said.

“Though their argument that there is a lack of water in Cauvery, at the same time riparian state Tamil Nadu is suffering a lot (due to decreased Cauvery water release),” Mr Siva added. 

He said that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin is handling the Cauvery issue “very diplomatically” and hoped that the state will get its due share of water soon.  

While the farmers in Karnataka’s Mandya on Sunday continued protesting to stop water from being released from Karnataka dams to Tamil Nadu, a group of farmers in Trichy, Tamil Nadu, staged a protest demanding the release of the water. 

Farmers across Karnataka have been protesting since the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) ordered the state to release 5,000 cusecs of water to its neighbouring state Tamil Nadu, for 15 days, effective from September 13.

A bench of Justices BR Gavai, PS Narasimha and Prashant Kumar Mishra on Thursday while refusing to interfere in the Cauvery water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu said both CWMA and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) are regularly meeting and monitoring the water requirements every 15 days.

The court declined to entertain an application filed by the Tamil Nadu government to increase its current share of Cauvery water from 5,000 to 7,200 cusecs per day.

Tamil Nadu has sought fresh directions for the release of Cauvery River water from Karnataka, claiming that the neighbouring State had changed its stand, and had released a reduced quantum of water as against what was agreed upon earlier.  

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) on Monday reiterated the decision of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee, asking Karnataka to continue releasing 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu for another 15 days.

This was decided at the meeting of the CWMA, held in the national capital. 

After the meeting, CWMA, in a press note said, “Taking note of the severity of the drought in the Cauvery basin of Karnataka, which has been increasing and enlarging putting at a greater risk even the drinking water needs and minimum needs of irrigation, Karnataka made submissions that it is not in a position to release the water unless the inflows into the reservoirs improves.”

“In turn, Tamil Nadu urged for releasing a total 12,500 cusecs of water (which is inclusive of backlog of 6,500 cusecs) for next 15 days. Finally, CWMA duly upholding the recommendations of CWRC has ordered that Karnataka has to ensure 5000 cusecs realization at Biligundlu for the next 15 days as indicated by CWRC, effective from September 13,” it added. 

The next meeting of the Authority is scheduled for September 26. 

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda on Monday said that the “quarrel” among Karnataka and Tamil Nadu will not be solved “legally” and that a solution will come out only after both sides sit together. 

The Rajya Sabha MP, with folded hands, requested Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to sit together and sort out the problem. 

While speaking during the discussion on ‘Parliamentary journey of 75 years, starting from Samvidhan Sabha-Achievements, Experiences, Memories and Learnings’, the JD(S) MP in the Upper House said, “…Just only one word I would like to say, this quarrel will not be solved legally. If at all for friends who wants to have some sort of smooth understanding. Let all of us sit together and sort out the problem. Otherwise things will continue…and struggle from both sides will go on and this is not going to solve the problem…It’s a humble request…I only pray this problem will not be solved unless we sit together (and) try to sort out this problem from our sides. Legal battles certainly will not be going out to solve out this problem.”

Moreover, Tamil Nadu Water Resource Minister Durai Murugan is in Delhi with a delegation of MPs and MLAs to meet with Union Water Resource Minister Gajendra Shekhawat in an effort to break the impasse over water release. 

Karnataka has cited severe drought in parts of its state to refuse supply of water to Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu Government has accused its neighbour of lying to the nation on the supply of water. 

Farmers in Mandya, Karnataka have been protesting the release of Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu. Farmers in Karnataka’s Mandya district have expressed deep discontent at the state government complying with directives of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to release Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu

The governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have been locked in a protracted tussle over the sharing of Cauvery waters. The river is seen as a major source of sustenance for the people in either state.

The Centre formed the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) on June 2, 1990, to adjudicate disputes between Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Puducherry with respect to their individual water-sharing capacities.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court has posted for September 6 matter relating to the Cauvery water-sharing dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

A bench of Justices BR Gavai and Prashant Kumar Mishra was informed on Friday that in pursuance to its August 25 direction, the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) has submitted its report relating to the compliance of the Authority’s August 11 direction by Karnataka to release water so that 10,000 cusecs of water is realised at Biligundulu, Tamil Nadu.

CWMA on Thursday filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court stating that a meeting was held and after that, Karnataka fulfilled the directions of CWMA by releasing a total of 149898 cusec of water at Biligundulu from August 12 to August 26.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had said that it doesn’t possess any expertise on this issue and sought a report from the CWMA on the quantum of release made by Karnataka.

It had asked CWMA, which was meeting on August 28, to decide the release of water for the next fortnight in the Cauvery water-sharing dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

The Authority in its affidavit stated, “In the 22nd meeting held on August 11, it was decided that the State of Karnataka has to ensure releases from the Krishna Raja Sagara and Kabini reservoirs put together, so that the flows are realised at Biligundulu at the rate of 10000 cusec, starting from August 12 (8 am) for the next 15 days.”

“It is respectfully submitted that in the 85th meeting of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) held on August 28 and thereafter in the 23rd meeting of CWMA held on August 29, the Member from Kamataka informed that as directed by CWMA in its 22nd meeting held on August 11 to ensure realisation of flow of 10000 cusec at Biligundulu, for next 15 days, the State of Karnataka has fulfilled the directions of CWMA by releasing a total of 149898 cusec of water at Biligundulu from August 12 to August 26,” the affidavit said.

It further said that as per the decisions taken in the 23rd meeting of CWMA held on August 29, the CWMA directed the member from Karnataka to ensure the realisation of flows at Biligundulu at the rate of 5000 cusecs, starting from August 29 (8 am) for the next 15 days.

Tamil Nadu government had approached the Supreme Court seeking direction to Karnataka to release 24,000 cusecs of water daily per day from the reservoirs in Karnataka.

Karnataka government had also filed an affidavit last week opposing Tamil Nadu’s application saying that application is based on an assumption that this year is the normal rain water year.

The government said that Tamil Nadu’s application that Karnataka to ensure the release of 36.76 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) stipulated for September 2023 has no legal basis since the said quantity is stipulated in a normal water year and this water year being a distressed water year so far, it is not applicable.

The application is based on an “erroneous assumption” that this year is the normal rainwater year, even though, rainfall is lesser by 25 per cent and inflow into four reservoirs in Karnataka was lesser by 42.5 per cent up to August 9 as recorded by the Cauvery Water Management Authority, Karnataka government stated in its affidavit.

The matter has been a controversial issue between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for decades and they have been locked in battle over the sharing of water from the Cauvery river, which is a major source of irrigation and drinking water for millions of people in the region.

The Centre formed the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) on June 2, 1990, to adjudicate disputes between Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Puducherry with respect to the water-sharing capacities.

In its affidavit, the Karnataka government said that the urgency pleaded by Tamil Nadu on the grounds of saving standing crops is wholly misreading because the permissible area of the Kuruvai rice crop which started on June 12 and goes up to the end of September requires 32.27 TMC as estimated by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal which has not been modified by the Supreme Court in its Judgment in 2018.

Tamil Nadu in its fresh application sought direction to the State of Karnataka to immediately release 24,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs) from its reservoirs and ensure the availability of the specified quantity of water at Biligundlu on the inter-state border for the remainder of the month for meeting the pressing demands of the standing crops.

It also urged the Supreme Court to direct Karnataka to ensure the release of 36.76 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) stipulated for September 2023 as per the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT)’s final award of February 2007 that was modified by the Supreme Court in 2018.

Tamil Nadu said Karnataka should make good the shortfall of 28.849 TMC water during the current irrigation year for the period between June 1 to July 31.

It further asked the Supreme court to direct the Cauvery Water Management Authority to ensure that the directions issued to Karnataka to release water to Tamil Nadu were “fully implemented and the stipulated monthly releases during the remaining period of the current water year are fully given effect to by the State of Karnataka”.

The application said that a direction was given to Karnataka on August 10 to release from its reservoirs 15,000 cusecs at Billigundulu on August 11 for 15 days.

“Unfortunately, even this quantum of water was arbitrarily reduced to 10,000 cusecs by the CWMA in its 22nd meeting held on August 11 at the instance of Karnataka. Regretfully, even this amount of 10,000 cusecs to be ensured at Billigundulu by releasing such quantum of water from the KRS and Kabini reservoirs has not been complied with by Karnataka,” it added.

Karnataka failed to fully implement the directions for the release of the stipulated quantum of 10,000 cusecs (0.864 TMC per day) as directed by CWRC, it said.

Karnataka is duty-bound to release the Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu as per the final order passed by the Tribunal as modified by this Court, the application stated.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)