The all-party meeting convened by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah here on Saturday decided to place before the Supreme Court the “ground realities” on the distress situation in Karnataka, in response to Tamil Nadu’s plea for water release on the basis of a normal water year’s statistics.
Mr. Siddaramaiah said the reservoirs in the Cauvery basin received only 55 per cent of the normal inflow due to deficient rainfall.
He said Karnataka had a total storage of only 51 tmcft as against the capacity of 104 tmcft from the Krishnaraja Sagar, Kabini, Hemavati, and Harangi reservoirs in the Cauvery basin.
Accusing Tamil Nadu of making a petition before the Supreme Court seeking release of Cauvery water on the basis of a normal water year’s statistics, though Karnataka is reeling under “severe distress”, an all-party meeting convened by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah here on Saturday has decided to place “ground realities before the Supreme Court”.
“Tamil Nadu has not informed the Supreme Court about facts such as Karnataka facing severe distress, leading to its reservoirs in the Cauvery basin receiving only 55 per cent of the normal inflow. We have decided to convince the Supreme Court about Karnataka’s distress. Our legal team will take up the issue before the apex court,” Mr. Siddaramaiah told media persons after the meeting.
“Tamil Nadu has sought 50 tmcft of water in its petition filed before the Supreme Court on the basis of the normal water year’s statistics. But, the ground reality is that Karnataka has a total storage of only 51 tmcft as against the capacity of 104 tmcft from Krishnaraja Sagar, Kabini, Hemavathi, and Harangi reservoirs in the Cauvery basin owing to deficient rainfall,” he said.
“Of 51 tmcft, we need a minimum of 40 tmcft for drinking water requirements alone,” he said, pointing out that Tamil Nadu was seeking water for irrigating samba crop.
He noted that Karnataka had to protect the standing crops of its farmers.
A government release added that only 8 per cent of the normal paddy-growing belt of 63,000 hectares had taken up transplantation this year.
Nearly 52 per cent of area in Cauvery basin was yet to take up sowing.
Mr. Siddaramaiah explained that cumulative inflow to all the four reservoirs in the Cauvery basin stood at a poor 108.26 tmcft till August 24, as against the long-time average of 195.12 tmcft. This would amount to only 55 per cent of the average inflow, he said.
The Chief Minister also denied reports that the State legal team had asked Karnataka to release 4 to 5 tmcft of water to Tamil Nadu, and said Karnataka had already released 29 tmcft to the neighbouring State.
“As of today, Mettur dam in Tamil Nadu has a total storage of 34 tmcft,” he said.
The all-party meeting was attended by top leaders, including Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Union Ministers Ananth Kumar, D.V. Sadananda Gowda, the former Chief Ministers M. Veerappa Moily and H.D. Kumaraswamy, and Leaders of the Opposition in both legislature houses Jagadish Shettar and K.S. Eshwarappa.
