Tamil Nadu Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan, on Wednesday, assured farmers of the Cauvery delta that the State government would make all efforts to ensure that they were not affected in any way.
Answering questions of journalists on the reported refusal of the Karnataka government to comply with the latest decision of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) to release 5,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs) to Tamil Nadu, the Minister said, “We will definitely secure relief [for the farmers].”
Pointing out that the formal response of the Karnataka government to the CWRC’s direction had to be observed, Mr. Duraimurugan said, “The last resort [for us] is to go to the Supreme Court, where the case [on the Cauvery issue] is coming up for hearing on September 21. By then, we will know their stand.”
Though Karnataka has all along been opposing every development [in favour of Tamil Nadu] in the dispute, the Minister said, “We have been safeguarding our rights.”
Asked whether an all-party meeting would be held in the State in the light of Karnataka holding one on September 13, 2023, the Minister replied that the question could be considered after the hearing of the case in the Supreme Court on September 21.
To another question on whether the route of negotiations would be explored to resolve the issue, he shot back, saying that the State went in for adjudication only because talks did not lead to any fruitful result. “If any suggestion [in support of negotiations] is made, it is being done with malafide intentions.”
Earlier, in a statement issued on Tuesday night, the Minister expressed shock over the reaction of Karnataka to the CWRC’s decision. Alluding to the observations of his counterpart and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, he condemned them.
As on September 12, 2023, the storage of four reservoirs of the neighbouring State in the Cauvery basin is around 63.801 thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft). As the Meteorological department had forecast rain in September for Karnataka, 10 tmc ft would become available. Besides, during October, the four reservoirs would receive at least 30 tmc ft.
“The CWRC has ordered only 5,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs) for 15 days (from September 13) which will be equivalent to 6.48 tmc ft. It is lower than the quantum under a distress-sharing formula,” Mr. Duraimurugan said. Pointing out that the consumptive use of Karnataka was 6.75 tmc ft in a year as per the Supreme Court’s judgement, he said the refusal to release water under the guise of drinking water requirements would amount to “deceiving” the farmers of Tamil Nadu.
AMMK general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran, on his social media (X) handle, deplored the stand of Mr Shivakumar and urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to take immediate steps for securing the State’s share of water.
