Southern States - Tamil Nadu   

'Stop Karnataka from making Billigundu claim'

By S. Vydhianathan

CHENNAI Aug 1. Retired PWD engineers and farmers want the State Government to ensure that Karnataka does not raise the Billigundu card for ``favourable measurement'' of inflows in the Cauvery. Karnataka has always harped on inflows and recordings at Billigundu for water release to Tamil Nadu as per the Cauvery Water Tribunal's interim order, despite the Centre as well as the Tribunal's firm rejection of Karnataka's contention and its insistence on the receipt of 205 tmcft at Mettur, they say.

Karnataka, in its counter-affidavit in the Supreme Court recently, said it had released 214.9 tmcft at Billigundu in the last irrigation year as against the tribunal's interim order directing release of 205 tmcft. It argued that the measurement at Billigundu alone was accurate as the flow there was measured by the Central Water Commission station.

Further, there was no direct measurement/ gauging of inflows at the Mettur reservoir. Hence, it should not be taken into consideration, it said.

Karnataka's argument is "untenable", says water experts here. First, it is not true that there is no correct measuring instrument at Mettur. The measurement used there is reliable, as it is being taken on still water as against flowing water at Billigundu.

Besides, it is not possible to take measurements regularly, especially when the inflows are heavy, say engineers.

On the argument that there are variations between the Billigundu and Mettur measurements, they said the Tribunal was aware of them even without taking into account intermediate catchment yield between the two reservoirs.

The Tribunal while pronouncing the interim order in 1991 took into consideration the average inflows at Mettur (205 tmcft) and Billigundu (227 tmcft).

In fact, it observed that if 25 tmcft, assumed to be the contribution between Billigundu and Mettur reservoir, was to be added to the average inflow at Billigundu, then the inflow at Mettur would be 252 tmcft.

Though Tamil Nadu was entitled to 252 tmcft at Mettur, it was demanding only 205 tmcft.

Again, in 1995, the Tribunal rejected the Karnataka argument that its obligation, as per the order, was only 180 tmcft at Billigundu, as there would be 25 tmcft contribution to Tamil Nadu from intermittent catchment area between Billigundu and Mettur. The Union Ministry of Water Resources also rejected Karnataka's insistence on taking Billigundu as the measuring point.

In one of its letters to the Chief Secretary of Karnataka, it pointed out that the measurement at Mettur alone would be the basis for monitoring the implementation of the interim order and it would continue to be so till the matter was mutually sorted out either by the basin states or by the Tribunal.

"There was no question of monitoring the flow at Billigundu." Despite these orders, Karnataka raised the Billigundu reading again, as it suits its convenience, say farmers. Before the case was disposed, both in the Supreme Court and in the Tribunal, experts want the Tamil Nadu Government to ensure that the issue is not reopened.

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