Helpless Karnataka starts releasing Cauvery water after SC warning

Bengaluru, Oct 4: Following a unanimous resolution in the State legislature, Karnataka ended its defiance of the Supreme Court's orders and started the release of 6,800 cusecs of water for irrigation purposes from the KRS dam at 8 p.m. on Monday; a large portion of this water is expected to reach Tamil Nadu. The move comes in the wake of the court's observation on September 30, warning Karnataka not to invite the “wrath of the court” and asking it to release 6,000 cusecs a day from October 1 to 6.

A report from Mysuru said the discharge from the Kabini reservoir was at the rate of 3,500 cusecs.

Earlier, the legislature passed a resolution to “empower” the State government to release water to State irrigation canals. This meant a quantum of water could be released to neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

A carefully worded resolution passed by the two Houses — which had on September 23 passed a resolution that water could be drawn only for drinking purposes — stated that given the increase in storage levels in the four reservoirs in the Cauvery basin for the past 10 days, “the State government may take an appropriate decision regarding release of water for irrigation in the best interests of the State.”

The open-ended last line of the resolution, which empowers the State government to take an “appropriate decision”, drew criticism from the BJP. It cautioned the State government against any release of water to Tamil Nadu using this clause in the resolution.

This House (Legislative Assembly) resolves that the government, after ensuring drinking water requirements as resolved by this House on September 23, may take an appropriate decision regarding release of water to the crops of farmers and in the best interests of the State.

Legislature resolution

JD(S) changes its stand on defying SC order

Bengaluru, Oct 4: The JD(S) on Monday distanced itself from its earlier stand that the Siddaramaiah government should defy the Supreme Court's order on release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.

At the special session of the state legislature, JD(S)?state president H?D?Kumaraswamy only spoke about the responsibility of the government to protect the interests of the state when its original suit challenging the Cauvery?Water Disputes Tribunal award comes up for final hearing before the Supreme Court from?October 18.

He said injustice had been meted out to Karnataka by the tribunal's final award and the state's priority should be to set it right. “We should have got 50 to 60 tmcft additional allocation of Cauvery water which is our right. He have been denied this allocation in the final award,” Kumaraswamy said.

He said if the final award is upheld, then the state will not only lose control over the four reservoirs in the Cauvery basin but all lift irrigation projects will have to be stopped. “It is a matter of great concern and we should all work toward getting justice for Karnataka,” he said. Kumaraswamy said his party was supporting the resolution moved by the government as it did not want to embarrass the ruling dispensation.

BJP leaders Jagadish Shettar and others brought pressure on the government to release water only to farmers of Karnataka. But finally, they supported the resolution.