MDMK general secretary Vaiko on Saturday said it was the duty of the Union government to ensure that the Karnataka government released Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu as per the directions of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).
Referring to the approval granted by the CWMA on Friday to the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee’s (CWRC)’ decision that Karnataka should release 2,600 cubic feet per second (cusecs) to Tamil Nadu till November 23, he said the Jal Shakti Ministry should ensure that it was done.
He criticised the Karnataka government for its insistence that only the construction of a new dam in Mekedatu could provide a long-lasting solution to the water-sharing problem between the two States. Arguing that the construction of a dam would affect Tamil Nadu in getting its share of water, he said the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal and the Supreme Court had already spelled out the water-sharing formula in distress years.
‘CWMA should intervene’
Meanwhile, TMC president G.K. Vasan said in a statement that if the Karnataka government again failed to release water, the CWMA should take stock of the situation and directly release water to Tamil Nadu.
He appealed to the CWMA to intervene on a humanitarian basis to protect the livelihood of farmers in Tamil Nadu as the State had received lesser than normal rainfall from the northeast monsoon too, until now.
