Karnataka govt is in a fix on Cauvery river water issue, says former CM Bommai
BENGALURU:
Former Karnataka Chief Minister and BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai on Friday said that the Congress-led state government is in a quandary on the issue of Cauvery river water distribution, adding that the lawyers who were representing the state did not argue the case properly before the Supreme Court.
“The Karnataka government is in a quandary on the Cauvery river water distribution issue. The consequences of this have now come out. Our lawyers argued in favour of the state government. I have seen the proceedings. The lawyers for the state government have not argued properly”, former CM Bommai said while addressing reporters in Bengaluru.
bengaluru
He further stated that protests will be held in the upcoming days on the Cauvery water row. “So far, they have not said how much Cauvery water has been used in Tamil Nadu. We have already protested in Mandya, Chamarajanagar, and Bengaluru on the Cauvery issue. We are going to discuss the next protest in today’s meeting,” he said.
The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to interfere with the order of Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to Karnataka on releasing 5,000 cusecs of water every day for now to Tamil Nadu.
A bench of Justices B R Gavai, P S Narasimha and Prashant Kumar Mishra, while refusing to interfere in the Cauvery water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, said both CWMA and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) are regularly meeting and monitoring the water requirements every 15 days.
Karnataka, in its application stated, “This water year of 2023-24 has begun on a bad note. The south-west monsoon, which feeds the catchment in Karnataka, has failed miserably. Even at the reservoir level, which covers a part of the catchment, the shortfall is 53.42 per cent. If the shortfall is considered up to the inter-state border Biligundulu, where flows are accountable, shortfall and distress would be much more than 53.42 per cent”.
The matter has been a controversial issue between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for decades and they have been locked in battle over the sharing of water from the Cauvery river, which is a major source of irrigation and drinking water for millions of people in the region.
The Centre formed the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) on June 2, 1990, to adjudicate disputes between Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Puducherry with respect to the water-sharing capacities. (ANI)
About the Author
