Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah to Appeal Against Cauvery Water Order
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 12: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced on Friday that the state will appeal to the Cauvery Water Management Authority against its order to release 1 TMC of water to Tamil Nadu every day. An all-party meeting will be held on July 14 to decide the next steps.
Speaking at a press conference after a meeting with ministers and senior officials, Siddaramaiah said, “It was expressed in today’s meeting that the government should file an appeal against this order before the Cauvery Water Management Authority.”
He added, “It was decided to hold an all-party meeting on July 14 at 4 pm. All parties have always been together on the issue of water in Karnataka. Therefore, an all-party meeting will be held.”
Union Ministers, Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha members, and MLAs will be invited to the meeting. The next steps will be decided after taking everyone into confidence.
Despite forecasts of normal rainfall, there is currently a 28% shortfall in water inflow to all four dams in the Cauvery river basin. The state has requested to delay any decision on water release until the end of July due to this deficit.
“While measuring at Biligundlu, 5,000 cusecs of water is being released into Tamil Nadu, which is equal to the Kabini dam inflow. In all four reservoirs of the Cauvery Basin, only 60% of water is available. We also need to provide water for agricultural activities. Keeping in mind the lack of rain, we have requested to wait till the end of July,” Siddaramaiah explained.
The governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have been in a long-standing dispute over the sharing of Cauvery waters, a crucial resource for both states. The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal was formed on June 2, 1990, to resolve disputes between Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Puducherry regarding water-sharing capacities.
