The Hindu : Cauvery panel meet an opportunity for State

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 07, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Cauvery panel meet an opportunity for State

By S. Vydhianathan

CHENNAI Jan. 6. The Tamil Nadu Government will insist at the Cauvery Monitoring Committee (CMC) meeting, to be held in New Delhi on January 19, that Karnataka release water to save the standing paddy crop in delta districts.

Though the State has been urging the Prime Minister to convene the Cauvery River Authority (CRA) at the earliest, the Centre has called the CMC meeting for deciding a distress-sharing formula to be submitted to the CRA. The State does not want to miss this opportunity and will raise the issue of releasing water to Tamil Nadu.

In the current irrigation year, from June 2003 till December last, the State received just 60 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) as against 190 tmcft ordered by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal in its interim order. If Karnataka releases at least 10 tmcft, it will go a long way in saving the crop on about three lakh hectares, say official sources here. But the moot question is whether Karnataka will come to the rescue of the delta farmers.

`PM must intervene'

Meanwhile, the Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association, in a memorandum to the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, narrated the grim situation in the delta districts and sought his immediate intervention to save the crop.

The memorandum, signed by the general secretary, S. Ranganathan, said only a miracle could save the crop, which was mature and would be ready for harvest in 30 days. It wanted him to convene a CRA meeting under his chairmanship to take stock of the situation and initiate urgent steps to save the crop.

Mr. Ranganathan said it was unfortunate that Karnataka, despite several rounds of discussions, was not ready to cooperate in evolving an acceptable distress-sharing formula during drought years. Though this was one of the worst drought years in recent memory, Karnataka ensured a successful crop in its basin but denied Tamil Nadu its due share.

Even now it was not too late to save the crop in the delta areas, Mr. Ranganathan said and suggested that Karnataka release to Tamil Nadu water from its reservoirs, proportionate to their existing storage, besides taking care of its drinking water needs.

The memorandum urged the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to do all that was possible between now and before January 18 to release water as any postponement of a discussion would result in a severe blow to the delta farmers.

Bhavani water for delta

The Government today decided to release 10,000 cusecs of water from the Bhavanisagar reservoir to Cauvery delta areas for eight days from January 14 to save the standing samba and thaladi crops.

According to an official release, the Government also ordered release of 1,650 cusecs for six days from today into the East Bhavani canal, 600 cusecs for the next five days into the Arakkankottai and Dhadapalli canals and 570 cusecs for the last six days into the Kalingarayan canal for old and new ayacuts in Erode district.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu