A day before the expiry of the deadline set by the Supreme Court, the Centre on Tuesday took steps to notify the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal allocating the quantum of waters to the Cauvery basin States of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala and Union territory of Puducherry.
Water Resources Secretary S.K. Sarkar signed the notification for publication in the official gazette, which is said to be in the process.
The CWDT order attempts to settle the 120-year-old dispute on the sharing of the Cauvery waters. Karnataka has opposed the gazette notification of the final order.
Implementation mechanism
However, it is not clear yet if the notification will include the setting up of implementation mechanisms such as the Cauvery Management Board and the Cauvery Regulation Committee as contained in the CWDT order.
The CWDT order determined the usable quantum of the Cauvery waters at Lower Coleroon Anicut site on the basis of 50 per cent dependability to be 740 tmc ft (thousand million cubic feet).
Of this, Tamil Nadu has been allocated 419 tmc ft, Karnataka will get 270 tmc ft, Kerala 30 tmc ft and Puducherry 7 tmc ft.
Further, the final order has reserved 10 tmc ft. for environmental protection and 4 tmc ft. for inevitable seepage into the sea.
In a distress year, the allocated shares shall be proportionately reduced among the basin States and Puducherry.
British-era pacts to be superseded
The order shall supersede the agreements of 1892 and 1924 between the then Government of Madras and the Government of Mysore so far as it is related to the Cauvery river system.
It shall come into operation on the date of publication of the tribunal’s decision in the official gazette under Section 6 of the Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956, as amended from time to time.
