Cauvery river verdict: Kerala files plea in Supreme Court to divert water
New delhi: Kerala government on Thursday moved the Supreme Court seeking review of the February 16 verdict in the Cauvery river water dispute case and pleaded for modification of the order to allow diversion of 5 tmcft of its share of 30 tmcft for drinking water requirements of Kozhikode corporation and 13 panchayats. So far there is no indication of either Karnataka or Tamil Nadu filing review petitions against the judgment. Kerala has ought an open court hearing rather than in the judges’ chamber.
The State said the apex court in its judgment had upheld the Cauvery Tribunal award of allocation of 30 tmcft and rejected the plea for diversion of water outside the trans-basin of Cauvery. It said in the review it was not asking for allocation of any additional quantity of water at this stage. The purpose of this petition is only to obtain an order regarding the utilisation of the said 30 TMC of water.
The state is at present utilising a portion of the water allocated to it in the Banasurasagar Multipurpose Project, which is a trans-basin project, for generating power, thereafter the tail waters are being used to supply drinking water supply to the Kozhikode corporation and 13 panchayaths in Kozhikode district and also to supply for irrigation of the vast lands in the North Kerala. The said project is already operational having been set up in 1988 and the State has so far invested a total of Rs 1613.22 crores under the various multi-purpose components.
But if the state’s plea is not allowed, the entire investment of public funds in the said project would be wasted and much needed drinking water to the 13 lakh people of Kozhikode Corporation and 13 Panchayths would be affected along with irrigation under Kuttiyadi Irrigation Project to an ayacut of 36,000 acres. Power supply and irrigation in North Kerala would also be affected.
Kerala pointed out that Bengaluru was allocated 4.75 tmcft of water for drinking purposes despite the fact that the same involve a trans-basin diversion. The State said the apex court had already held that as per the national water policy adequate drinking water should be provided to the entire population both in urban and rural areas.
