The Hindu : Cauvery: sharing distress on pro-rata basis?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 27, 2002

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Cauvery: sharing distress on pro-rata basis?

By Gargi Parsai

New Delhi Aug. 26. The crucial Cauvery River Authority meeting convened by the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, here tomorrow to resolve the issue of Karnataka releasing Tamil Nadu's share of Cauvery waters may work out a "principle'' on sharing distress among the basin States of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Kerala.

After a review of deficient rainfall, Mr. Vajpayee may direct the States to share distress on a pro rata basis.

Three Chief Ministers — J. Jayalalithaa of Tamil Nadu, S.M. Krishna of Karnataka and N. Rangaswamy of Pondicherry — have confirmed their participation at the meeting, which is being convened on the direction of the Supreme Court on an application filed by Tamil Nadu for redressal. Kerala is likely to be represented by the State's Irrigation Minister.

The Karnataka Chief Minister comes to the meeting reportedly armed with an all-party decision in his State not to release water to its neighbour on account of the distress situation it faces. An emergency meeting on August 9 of the official-level Cauvery River Monitoring Committee — which assists the CRA — had urged Karnataka to release water on pro rata basis but the State had expressed its inability to do so. There seems to be no change in the State's stance.

As per the figures, Karnataka should have released 95.28 tmcft water to Tamil Nadu from June till August 24. Against this, Tamil Nadu has received only 27.84 tmcft, leaving a shortfall of 67.44 tmcft. The average inflows in four Karnataka reservoirs has been 124.63 tmcft so far, as against an average of 236.1 tmcft. Under the interim award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal Karnataka should release 205 tmcft water to Tamil Nadu in a water year beginning June.

The Central Water Commission has evolved a formula for sharing distress which was agreeable to Tamil Nadu in the last Monitoring Committee meeting "without prejudice to its position'' before the tribunal. Karnataka did not accept this "conditional'' acceptance by Tamil Nadu. Under "pro rata sharing of distress'' if Karnataka is stressed for water then it can proportionately release lower quantities to Tamil Nadu.

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