The cyclone Nilam that made the landfall near Chennai on Wednesday has come as a blessing in disguise for Karnataka. The rains triggered by the storm have eased the pressure on the State to release water from its Cauvery basin reservoirs to lower riparian State of Tamil Nadu.
The Cauvery Monitoring Committee (CMC), after the second sitting in recent weeks, directed Karnataka to release 3.93 tmcft of water apart from a shortfall of around 2.10 tmcft (in the water release between October 15 and 31) totalling nearly 6.10 tmcft before November 15. Karnataka government said it would comply with the directions of the CMC.
Sources in the State government told The Hindu that the flow of water from the catchment areas downstream of the Krishnarajasagar reservoir should suffice to comply with the directions of the CMC. “At present, there is no need to release water from our reservoirs. The flow at Biligundlu (inter-State border where the Central Water Commission has a measuring station) is over 10000 cusecs. (as per the recording early on Friday).
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary to the State government has written to the chairman of the CMC that the decision of the CRA on water release was final “res judicata” and that there was no question of entertaining the demand of Tamil Nadu that the shortfall during the south- west monsoon (48 tmc feet) should be made good at the present juncture. The CMC has suggested to the neighbouring State to file a statement on the demand for making good the shortfall and Karnataka has been asked to respond in two days. The present storage in the Cauvery basin reservoirs here is around 52 tmcft.
