‘Cornered’ Karnataka opened dams before directive

According to officials in the Central Water Commission (CWC) at Biligundlu, Karnataka Irrigation Department officials had informed the latter that the sluices of Krishna Raja Sagar and Kabini dams were opened to let water to Tamil Nadu. “An official from the Karnataka Irrigation Department informed the Biligundlu gauging station around 10 am on Sunday that water was being released from the two dams. However, the officials did not mention the quantum that was flowing out of the two dams,” an official, on condition of anonymity, told DTNext from Biligundlu said. 

The official on Monday said that the released quantum was yet to reach the gauging station. However, he said, owing to the release from Karnataka, the flow at Biligundlu is expected to increase in the next two days and the exact quantum could be calculated only at that time. Amid this development, the Supreme Court on Monday directed Karnataka to release 15,000 cusec of Cauvery water per day to Tamil Nadu for the next 10 days to ameliorate the plight of the farmers there. Noting that the samba crop in Tamil Nadu would be adversely affected, a bench, comprising Justices Dipak Misra and UU Lalit, directed Karnataka to ensure supply of water to Tamil Nadu. The apex court also directed Tamil Nadu to approach the supervisory committee within three days for the release of Cauvery water as per the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal’s (CWDT).  

The Supreme Court also asked the supervisory committee to decide on Tamil Nadu’s plea in 10 days from September 5. “We think it’s appropriate to direct Karnataka to release 15,000 cusec per day for 10 days,” the bench said, while also directing Tamil Nadu to release water to Puducherry appropriately as per its interim arrangement. The court posted the matter for further hearing on September 16. On September 2, the Supreme Court had made an emotional appeal to Karnataka saying ‘live and let live’, after Tamil Nadu brought to the notice of the court that the Karnataka Chief Minister had said that not a drop of water would be released to it. In a recent plea, Tamil Nadu had sought a direction to Karnataka to release 50.52 tmc feet of Cauvery water to save 40,000 acres of samba crop this season.

 — with agency inputs

The Monday directive of the Supreme Court telling Karnataka to release 15,000 cusec to Tamil Nadu, did not bring much cheer to the farmers in delta districts as they say that the quantum ordered won’t raise the storage level of Mettur dam to meet the needs of samba crop. Many of them also felt that even if water was released from the Mettur dam, after realising the discharge from Karnataka, it might not reach several parts in the tail end region.

“Karnataka officials, as a safe tactic, had released a vast quantum from the Krishna Raja Sagar after July 21, that is weeks before onset of the south west monsoon, into several lakes in neighbouring villages. But, this caused breaches in many water bodies. The present storage is the quantity realised through the monsoon showers. So, the Cauvery Monitoring Committee should have the entire control of water management. It should play a watchdog’s role and give the real picture of the storage in Karnataka,” said Mannargudi S Ranganathan, general secretary, Tamil Nadu Cauvery Delta Farmers’ Welfare Association.

The renovation of Grand Anaicut (Kallanai) canal and desilt works have been partially put off as farmers said it would result in prevention of free flow of water to the tail end areas of the state.

According to sources, the Kallanai canal which was dug in 1925 had been completed by 1934 through which the farmers from Orathanadu, Pattukkottai, Peravurani, Aranthangi and Avudayarkoil were benefited and this had irrigated about 2.27 lakh acres of paddy fields in Thanjavur and Pudukkottai districts with 327 branch canals and 694 irrigation ponds. However, the tail-end farmers could not get water for irrigation and so the state government with the funding of NABARD undertook renovation works in 2004 with a fund of Rs 147 crore. While the Phase I works were completed in 2008, Phase II work was charted out with a fund of Rs 272 crore but the works were delayed without reason.  Meanwhile, the renovation work was dropped and elaborate renovation works were estimated to the cost of Rs 2,300 crore in which Grand Anaicut and its canals were planned with the Centre’s funding and still the project was held under ‘consideration’ with the Ministry of Water Resources.