Former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take a firm stand, based on facts, that the state cannot release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.
In a letter to the CM, the BJP leader said that the release of water will cause hardship to the people and farmers of Karnataka.
The Tamil Nadu government on Friday asserted that it has no other option but to approach the Supreme Court to get Cauvery water, stating that Karnataka has changed its stand and has come forward to release only a reduced quantum of 8,000 cusecs.
"On June 1, there was a total of 24,352 TMC of water in the four reservoirs of Karnataka (Cauvery basin). Similarly, 69.77 TMC in Mettur Reservoir, 16.653 TMC in Bhavani Sagar Reservoir, and 14.054 TMC water flowed from Biligundlu measuring station on 6-8-2023. So, a total of 83.831 TMC of water has been received in Mettur Dam in Tamil Nadu this year," Bommai said.
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Noting that according to the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT), Tamil Nadu is required to grow Kuruvai crop on 1.8 lakh acres and should use 32 TMC water, he said Tamil Nadu, however, as on August 7, has used 60.97 TMC of water for Kuruvai crop, which is double the figure mentioned in the CWDT order.
"Ignoring the scarcity of water in the Cauvery basin, water has been provided to four times the prescribed Kuruvai area (in Tamil Nadu), which is in violation of CWDT order," he said, adding that silence of the state's officials without protesting this in the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) has affected Karnataka's interest.
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Pointing out that the current water level in the four dams is not sufficient for the drinking water needs of Bengaluru city, other cities, and the villages of the Cauvery basin, Bommai said similarly, Kharif crops in the Cauvery basin will suffer from the shortage of water.
"Thus the release of water causes hardship to the people and farmers of Karnataka," he said, urging the chief minister to take a firm stand that, based on facts, the state cannot release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu which is receiving Southwest and Northeast Monsoon rains.
"I believe that you will protect the interests of the people of the Cauvery basin," he added.
