Karnataka CM wants distress formula for Cauvery dispute

BENGALURU: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday wanted distress formula ready over River Cauvery water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

He also felt the need for the construction of a balancing reservoir at Mekedatu in Ramnagar across River Cauvery would come in handy for Karnataka release water to Tamil Nadu during deficit rainfall years.

Siddaramaiah chaired an all-party meeting after the state government’s decision to discharge water (10,000 cusecs daily till August end) to Tamil Nadu met with stiff opposition from political parties and farmers especially in the Cauvery basin of the state.

After chairing an all-party meeting in Vidhana Soudha, Bengaluru, Chief Minister said the distress formula is not ready in the Supreme Court or in the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal over sharing of River Cauvery water during crisis situations owing to deficit rainfall.

The Chief Minister felt that a balancing reservoir across River Cauvery in Ramnagar can store about 67 tmc feet of water and during rainfall deficit years, Karnataka can release water to Tamil Nadu but the Mekedatu project has met with unwanted opposition from Tamil Nadu without any valid reasons or grounds.

The Detailed Project Report for Mekedatu balancing reservoir has been readied by Karnataka as per the directions of Central Water Commission while Cauvery Water Management Authority is yet to give its opinion on the construction of a balancing reservoir at Mekedatu, said the Chief Minister.

“We have told advocates and legal team to present argument in the Supreme Court effectively and get the Tamil Nadu’s petition dismissed in the Supreme Court,” said the Chief Minister and stated that Supreme Court Chief Justice has constituted a 3-Judge bench on Cauvery issue and the matter is coming up for hearing on Friday.

This season, Siddaramaiah said the State has released about 24 tmc feet of water to Tamil Nadu as against 86.38 tmc feet of water during normal rainfall years.

Meanwhile, he said, the all party meeting attended by former Chief Ministers-B.S. Yediyurappa, H.D. Kumaraswamy, Basavaraj Bommai, Sadananda Gowda and Jagadeesh Shettar, Lok Sabha members and legal team of the State, decided to take an all-party delegation to Union Government and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister for Water Resources to explain to them on the prevailing situation in Karnataka owing to deficit rainfall this season.

The date on leading a delegation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be made known later, said the Chief Minister and stated that the delegation would urge the PM to clear River Mahadayi diversion project which has met with obstacles owing to forest and environment clearance. The delegation would also PM to issue gazette notification on Upper Krishna Project (UKP) and also seek forest and environment clearance for the State Government proposed Mekedatu balancing reservoir.