Release 3,000 cusecs to T.N., Cauvery panel tells Karnataka, Pg1

Key Highlights:

• The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) directed Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu at Biligundlu for 15 days starting October 24.
• This directive, endorsed by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), amounts to 3.88 tmcft over the 15-day period.
• Tamil Nadu had requested a significantly higher release of 18.402 tmcft, including a claimed backlog of 13.829 tmcft.
• Karnataka opposed the directive, citing a 55.35% deficit in inflows into its four Cauvery basin reservoirs due to poor rainfall.
• Karnataka highlighted severe drought conditions, with 226 out of 240 taluks declared drought-affected, including 55 of 56 in the Cauvery basin.

Cauvery Water Dispute.jpg

Detailed Insights:

• The CWRC is a subordinate body to the CWMA, responsible for monitoring water levels and ensuring compliance with water-sharing decisions.
• Biligundlu is a crucial gauging station on the Cauvery River, located at the inter-state border, where water flow from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu is measured.
• Karnataka argued that it had already released an excess of 1.861 tmcft between July 29 and October 22, exceeding the stipulated 45.231 tmcft.
• The state emphasized that water-sharing decisions during a "distress year" should consider actual inflows, intermediate-catchment contributions, monsoon patterns, and ground conditions.
• Karnataka stated that its combined live reservoir storage was 46.510 tmcft, with approximately 43 tmcft needed for drinking water and priority needs, leaving only about 12 tmcft.
• Tamil Nadu countered that inadequate flows severely impacted delta farmers and agricultural operations, with the Mettur reservoir storage at 20.887 tmcft.
• Karnataka also pointed to Tamil Nadu's combined storage of 29.377 tmcft in the Mettur, Bhavani, and Amaravathi reservoirs, and above-normal rainfall in 13 Tamil Nadu districts.
• The Mettur Dam, built in 1934, is one of the largest dams in India and a vital source of irrigation and drinking water for central Tamil Nadu.
• Tamil Nadu maintained that anticipated rainfall from the Northeast monsoon could not substitute its due share, as future rainfall remains uncertain.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA): A statutory, quasi-judicial body established in 2018 to implement the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award as modified by the Supreme Court.
• Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC): A subordinate body to the CWMA that monitors daily water levels, inflows, and storage positions in Cauvery basin reservoirs.
• Cusecs: A unit of flow rate, representing one cubic foot of water per second.
• Tmcft: An abbreviation for "thousand million cubic feet," commonly used in India to measure large volumes of water in reservoirs or river flow.