No rain, cannot release water to TN, says DKS

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who also holds the water resources portfolio, said that the state is in no position to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu due to inadequate rainfall in the catchment areas. This comes on a day the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) directed Karnataka to release 5,000 cusecs of water each day to Tamil Nadu for the next 15 days.

Speaking to reporters here, Shivakumar said that a meeting of the Cauvery Irrigation Authority would be held possibly on Wednesday or Thursday where Karnataka will make its stand clear.

“The Chief Minister and myself have held discussions with water experts and concluded that Karnataka cannot release water as there is insufficient water in our reservoirs,” he elaborated.  

He said Tamil Nadu is said to have demanded 12,000 cusecs of water.

“Considering the shortage of water due to poor monsoon, we need to give priority to drinking water and then release water for irrigation. When it rained in Bengaluru and in the catchment areas recently, there was some hope… but now there is no rain,” Shivakumar added. 

He reiterated that Karnataka has filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court. “We have conveyed the ground reality to everyone. I will speak to legal experts in Delhi.  We are not doing anything surreptitiously… please visit Karnataka and see our situation,” he added.

Asked if he suspect politics behind the orders to release water, he said, “No, I cannot accuse those committees of politics, being in a responsible position. They are sitting in the judge’s position. Central government officials, representatives of both states and other states are part of it.”

CWRC tells Karnataka to release 5K cusecs of water for 15 days
Chennai: The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee on Tuesday recommended Karnataka to release 5,000 cusecs of water to TN for the next 15 days despite Karnataka’s objections. Sources said TN sought 10,000 cusecs for the next 15 days to save standing crops, and referred to the storage in Karnataka dams and the amount of water due for TN till date as per the monthly schedule stipulated by the SC.