Karnataka told to release water 5,000 cusecs a day to TN for 15 days
A day after the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee (CWRC) directed Karnataka to release 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu for 15 days, the Cauvery Water Management Authority on Tuesday upheld the decision, leaving both states with a sense of disappointment.
While Karnataka argued against releasing any water from its reservoirs citing severe shortage that has affected even drinking water supply, Tamil Nadu had sought at least 24,000 cusecs to save the standing crop in nearly 5.4 lakh acres that faces the risk of wilting if the Delta region fails to get adequate supply.
At the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) meeting chaired by Saumitra Kumar Haldar in Delhi on Tuesday, Karnataka dug its heels against meeting Tamil Nadu’s demand for 24,000 cusecs of water for 10 days.
Its representatives cited the failure of the Southwest monsoon resulting in poor storage in its reservoirs, and noted that there were no guidelines on sharing water during monsoon failure seasons.
Meanwhile, highlighting the shortfall of water that is due for Tamil Nadu as per the scheduled release in the water year, Water Resource Department secretary Sandeep Saxeena and Cauvery Technical Cell chairman R Subramanian pressed for 24,000 cusecs for the next 10 days for the standing Kurvai crop.
Hearing both sides, CWMA chairperson Halder directed Karnataka to release 5,000 cusecs in the first spell (August 29 to September 13).
Expressing disappointment, a senior official said, “Tamil Nadu will end up getting little over six TMC water in the first spell. We can manage six to seven days with this, but need water for the next 30 days to save the standing crop.”