A day after the Supreme Court refused to intervene either in favour of Karnataka or Tamil Nadu in the Cauvery dispute, the State Cabinet decided to comply with the order of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) on releasing water to the neighbouring State till September 26.
Briefing presspersons after a Cabinet meeting on Friday, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who also holds the Water Resources portfolio, said that daily 3,000 to 3,500 cusecs of water was flowing from the Krishnaraja Sagar and Kabini reservoir to Tamil Nadu.
Mr. Shviakumar said the State would release water to Tamil Nadu till September 26. Karnataka would provide the water level situation in the State reservoirs at the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) meeting on September 26. The CWMA endorsed the recommendation of the CWRC and ordered the release of 5,000 cusecs for 15 days. The CWMA meeting was held against the backdrop of Karnataka’s refusal to comply with the CWRC’s latest directive on September 12.
Karnataka has cited severe drought in parts of the State to not release water to Tamil Nadu. Already, the State has declared 195 taluks as drought-hit.
Mr. Shivakumar said the State Advocate-General had briefed the Cabinet in detail about legal issues involved in the dispute. The government would comply with the order of the CWRC. At the same time, the government was committed to protecting the interest of farmers, he said.
The apex court on Thursday said it banked on the combined expertise of the CWRC and the CWMA to manage the water-sharing between the two States.
The Cabinet also decided to obtain all clearances, including the Union government’s environmental clearance, to take up the Mekedatu reservoir project on the Cauvery at Kanakapura.
The government has decided to submit all documents to the court and relevant authorities for seeking permission to execute the project, aimed at catering to the drinking water needs of Bengaluru city.
