BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday called an emergency cabinet meeting after the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) directed the state government to release 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu from Wednesday for the next 15 days. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and other cabinet ministers were present.
The CWRC said that it has recommended that Karnataka should ensure the release of 5,000 cusecs water at Biligundlu for the next 15 days starting from Wednesday morning against the demand of the Tamil Nadu government which had urged for releasing a total of 12,500 cusecs of water.
“Taking note of the severity of the drought in the Cauvery basin of Karnataka, which has been increasing and enlarging, putting at 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 improve”, an official statement issued by CWRC said.
“In turn, Tamil Nadu urged for releasing a total of 12,500 cusecs water (which is inclusive of the backlog of 6,500 cusecs) for the next 15 days. Finally, CWRC has recommended that Karnataka ensure 5,000 cusecs realisation at Biligundlu for the next 15 days starting from Wednesday morning”, it added.
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. (ANI)