NEW DELHI: The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), which met in New Delhi on Thursday, upheld the recommendation of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) directing Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu, with a total release of 4 TMC over 15 days, according to news agency ANI.As per the ANI report, the CWRC had on July 28 ordered Karnataka to begin releasing water to Tamil Nadu from July 29. Karnataka had subsequently filed an appeal against the CWRC’s direction before the CWMA.Officials from Karnataka said that an all-party meeting would be convened soon under the leadership of chief minister D K Shivakumar after his return from Delhi to decide on the next course of action.The officials said the next legal battle and the options available to the state would also be discussed at the meeting with the CM.Meanwhile, a delegation of BJP MPs led by Union minister Pralhad Joshi and former Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai met Union jal shakti minister CR Patil in Delhi.The delegation urged the Centre not to pressure Karnataka into implementing the CWRC’s water-release order.MPs Jagadish Shettar, Govind Karjol, Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, PC Mohan and PC Gaddigoudar were present at the meeting.The MPs also thanked the Central government for deciding in favour of Karnataka, stating that “there is no scope for objections” from other states regarding the construction of the Mekedatu dam by the state government.The CWRC’s direction has also triggered anger among farmer groups in Karnataka’s drought-affected Cauvery basin. Farmers’ association leader Kurubur Shanthakumar rejected the direction and said, “The state government should not go by that verdict under any circumstances. That verdict must be defied, and an appeal should be filed in the Supreme Court.”Describing the situation as severe for farmers and their livelihoods, Shanthakumar said, “The reason is that, in our region, there has been no rain for the last two months. Farmers are suffering due to drought. Sugarcane and banana crops that the farmers have grown have dried up. Farmers are in distress. If we release water now, we will not be able to get it back.”He added, “There is a situation where we may face a drinking water crisis. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board has already announced that people should use water judiciously and has declared a reduction in water release. Considering all these issues, we do not accept what the state government has done.”Shanthakumar said farmers in the Haveri command area were warning that they would take to the streets in protest.The dispute comes amid renewed political exchanges between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over the proposed Mekedatu balancing reservoir across the Cauvery River.Karnataka chief minister D K Shivakumar has maintained that the project is within the state’s rights and argued that it would benefit Tamil Nadu as well.Tamil Nadu chief minister Vijay wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 28 over the proposed project, urging the Centre to safeguard the interests of the lower riparian states and ensure that any decision on the project is consistent with the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) Award and the Supreme Court’s judgment on the Cauvery water dispute.In the letter, Vijay referred to the reply given by the Minister of State for Jal Shakti in the Rajya Sabha to an unstarred question on the Mekedatu project. The reply stated that the Supreme Court’s judgment dated February 16, 2018, does not expressly stipulate that Karnataka should obtain the consent of the lower riparian states before constructing a structure across the Cauvery River.Separately, DMK president and former chief minister M K Stalin has announced that a major protest would be held in Thanjavur on August 3, led by leader of the opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin. The protest will allege that the ruling TVK government has failed farmers on issues including farm loan waiver, the Mekedatu dam project and the delayed opening of the Mettur Dam, ANI reported.(With agency inputs)
