The Hindu : Release water for 3 more days, says CRA

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 11, 2003

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Release water for 3 more days, says CRA

By Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI FEB. 10. Discounting Karnataka's plea against any further Cauvery water releases this season, the Cauvery River Authority, chaired by the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, today directed the State to release 4,500 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu at Mettur for another three days from tomorrow. This will ensure a quantum of 2.8 tmcft inflows at Mettur in a week from February 6, when the Supreme Court ordered Karnataka to release 4,500 cusecs (0.4 tmcft) till the CRA meeting.

After three days, Karnataka will release water as per the interim award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, the Water Resources Minister, Arjun Charan Sethi, told mediapersons after the two-hour long meeting of the CRA, attended by the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Pondicherry.

Reacting to the decision after the meeting, the Karnataka Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, told mediapersons that he was "unhappy", while the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, J. Jayalalithaa said she was "terribly disappointed". She said 80 per cent of the crop had withered for want of water and she has sought a drought relief of Rs. 2,094 crores and one lakh tonnes of foodgrains from the Centre.

To Ms Jayalalithaa's demand for 10 tmcft water to save the standing crop, Mr. Krishna alleged that the "samba" crop in Tamil Nadu had been harvested and the State was seeking water to build future reserves. His request for a field visit by the official-level Cauvery Monitoring Committee (CMC) to ascertain the situation was not acceded to.

`Rubbing salt in a wound'

Ms. Jayalalithaa's reaction to the charge was, "that is rubbing salt in the wound. He's been uttering falsehoods after falsehoods." She said one positive point was that the Prime Minister had accepted that the deficit in releases at Mettur, as worked out by the Central Water Commission was 16.5 tmcft. "But it is no solace to our case because in the end the order of the CRA for release of 4,500 cusecs a day works out to about 1.2 tmcft, which will neither be able to save the crop nor fulfil our requirement for drinking water. Now saving the crop is virtually ruled out. We won't even be able to save less than 20 per cent of the crop from ground water recharge without supplies from Mettur."

Asked if Karnataka will abide by the CRA directive, Ms. Jayalalithaa said according to the Inter-State River Disputes Act and a recent amendment to it, an award of the Tribunal would amount to a decree of the Supreme Court. "If Karnataka continues to refuse to abide by it, it is contempt of court."

Asked what Tamil Nadu planned to do if it was not satisfied with the CRA's decision, she said: "What can we do? We hope to get (drought) relief from the Centre".

When reminded that the CRA's order combined with thje Supreme Court order will bring Tamil Nadu 2.8 tmcft of water, Ms. Jayalalithaa shot back: "That is assuming that they will release the water. They do not keep their word."

Mr. Krishna, who had made a strong plea in a memorandum submitted to the Prime Minister for his requirement of water for irrigating the sugarcane crop in the Cauvery basin, drinking water to Bangalore city and saving major wildlife sanctuaries and national parks located in the basin, said they had no choice but to "subject themselves to the order of the CRA".

In his closing remarks, the Prime Minister said: "I am informed that at the end of January, 2003, the inflows received in the Mettur have still been in deficit by about 16.5 tmcft. At the present storage available in Karnataka reservoirs, the State may not be in a position to make good the entire deficit during the remaining water year, 2002-03.''

Referring to the assurance of Mr. Krishna on January 13 for releasing about 6 tmcft of water, Mr. Vajpayee said 3.3 tmcft had been received at Mettur from January 20 to 28. "Since Tamil Nadu requires water now, it will be appropriate if the same quantity (4,500 cusecs a day, as ordered by the Supreme Court on February 6, till the meeting of the CRA) was made available by Karnataka at Mettur for another three days. Tamil Nadu will make appropriate releases to Pondicherry".

The tribunal hearings notwithstanding, with this it appears, the Cauvery dispute will be put on hold for this season.

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