CM: Can’t give Cauvery water to TN; will submit new appeal

The Karnataka administration will submit a new appeal to the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee (CWRC) in order to outline the current conditions that restrict the state from providing more water to Tamil Nadu.

An all-party conference was conducted on Wednesday to resolve the Cauvery water-sharing issue between Karnataka and the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu. This development followed that discussion.

The CWRC requested that the Karnataka government give an additional 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu for the next 15 days on September 12, prompting the demand for the meeting.

“We will once again file a petition before the CWRC, stating that we don’t have water, so we can’t release water, and request reconsideration of the recommendation,” Siddaramaiah said in response to a question from the media after the meeting. Let’s wait and watch what they do. Based on that, we will submit a petition to the Supreme Court once again with the intention of informing the court of the true circumstances there.

“We will consider whether or not to distribute 5,000 cusecs daily with the legal team. DK Shivakumar, the deputy chief minister, is traveling to Delhi to talk about this with the legal team and the possibility of launching a case. After considering everything, we will decide,” he said.

Ministers from the Cauvery Basin area, previous chief ministers from different political parties, senior ministers from the state cabinet, and members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were present at the emergency meeting. The Cauvery River, land, water, language, and state boundaries are just a few examples of issues that have traditionally brought all political parties together.

Senior opposition figures HD Kumaraswamy of the Janata Dal (Secular) JD(S) and BS Yediyurappa of the Bharatia Janata Party (BJP) did not attend, claiming previous obligations. “Last night, the state administration asked me to a meeting to talk about the Cauvery conflict. Due to a planned event in my district, I will be unable to attend the meeting, Bommai said.

“Our position on the Cauvery issue is unambiguous. For whatever reason, the state government should not provide water to Tamil Nadu. The state administration should explain the local conditions in the state to the Supreme Court and the CWMA (Cauvery Water Management Authority),” he said.

In addition to calling the CWRC’s suggestion “unjust,” Kumaraswamy said that the Karnataka government had instructed farmers in the Cauvery basin region not to produce crops owing to a lack of water, and that there will soon be a drinking water crisis as a result.

Kumaraswamy further criticized the state administration, saying, “It doesn’t have the basic understanding, guts, or courage to protect the interest of the state…they don’t have commitment towards the people,” for continuing to provide water to TN despite Karnataka’s water shortage. What will they do and where will they get drinking water for Bengaluru residents in the next days?

On the other side, a number of MPs took part, including Sumalatha Ambareesh (Independent), PC Mohan, Shivkumar Udasi, and Pratap Simha (BJP).

The CWRC is a recommendatory committee, and Siddaramaiah made it clear that it has just offered a proposal. The government will make an appeal on their behalf, claiming that Karnataka lacks the ability to distribute water since there is not enough water for both farming and drinking. He said he will write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to request a meeting but hasn’t heard back yet.

“I will once again send the PM a letter describing the true situation on the ground. We’ll go meet him if he gives us the time. Additionally, MPs have stated their desire to put pressure on the Centre, according to the CM.

The water will not be withheld, according to Siddaramaiah, but they have no other choice given the circumstances. This position has been accepted by the meeting’s participants from all parties. In the next days, the topic is anticipated to be discussed by the CWMA, where Karnataka would vehemently defend its stance.

In answer to a query on getting in touch with MK Stalin, chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Siddaramaiah expressed doubt about its advantages but indicated bringing up the idea with the legal staff.

Siddaramaiah emphasized the substantial rainfall shortfall in August and blamed it on the lack of water in reservoirs. Due to this, the state is unable to follow the Supreme Court’s directives, which call for the transfer of 177.25 TMC of water to Tamil Nadu annually.

We discharged just 37.7 TMC of water up until September 11 when we ought to have released more than 99 TMC since there isn’t any water in our reservoirs this year. We are now unable to properly discharge water in order to safeguard our standing crops, he added.

“Our needs for water are as follows: crops need 70 TMC, drinking water 33 TMC, and industries 3 TMC. Therefore, 106 TMC of water is needed. Only 53 TMC, however, are available from the Cauvery basin’s KRS, Kabini, Hemavati, and Harangi reservoirs. As a result, it is inadequate, and for that reason, I said that we are unable to deliver water to Tamil Nadu,” he continued.

According to Shivakumar, the formula for distributing water during hard times has not yet been developed.