CM: Will file fresh plea, can’t release Cauvery water to TN

Karnataka government will file a fresh petition before the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee (CWRC) to present the prevailing circumstances preventing the state from releasing additional water to Tamil Nadu.

This development came after an all-party meeting was held on Wednesday to discuss the Cauvery water-sharing dispute between Karnataka and the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu.

The meeting was called after the CWRC on September 12 asked the Karnataka government to release another 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu for the next 15 days.

Addressing a press conference at Vidhan Soudha after the meeting, Siddaramaiah said, “We will once again file a petition before the CWRC, stating that we don’t have water, so we can’t release water, and request reconsideration of the recommendation. Let’s see what they will do. Based on that, we will once again file a petition in the Supreme Court and aim to inform the court of the factual situation on the ground.”

“We will discuss with the legal team whether to release 5,000 cusecs per day or not. Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar is going to Delhi to discuss this with the legal team and regarding filing a petition. Keeping all this in mind, we will make a decision afterwards,” he added.

The emergency meeting included ministers from the Cauvery Basin region, former chief ministers from various political parties, senior ministers from the state cabinet, and members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Siddaramaiah pointed out that historically, all political parties have stood united on matters related to inter-state disputes such as the Cauvery River, land, water, language, and state borders.

However, senior opposition leaders BS Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai of the Bharatia Janata Party (BJP) and HD Kumaraswamy of the Janata Dal (Secular) JD(S) remained absent citing prior commitments. “The state government invited me last night for a meeting to discuss the Cauvery dispute. However, I will not be able to attend the meeting as I have a pre-scheduled event in my constituency,” Bommai said.

“Our stance on the Cauvery issue is clear. The state government should not release water to Tamil Nadu for any reason. The state government should make the Supreme Court and the CWMA (Cauvery Water Management Authority) understand the ground situation in the state,” he added.

Kumaraswamy, criticising CWRC’s recommendation as “unjust,” said that due to water scarcity in the Cauvery basin area, the Karnataka government advised farmers not to cultivate crops, and there will also be a shortage of drinking water in the days to come.

Further, hitting out at the state government for releasing water to TN all these days, despite Karnataka facing scarcity, Kumaraswamy said, “It doesn’t have the basic understanding or guts or courage to protect the interest of the state…they don’t have commitment towards the people. What will they do for drinking water in the days to come, from where will they provide it to the people of Bengaluru?”

On the other hand, several MPs, including BJP’s Pratap Simha, PC Mohan, Shivkumar Udasi, and Sumalatha Ambareesh (Independent), participated.

Siddaramaiah clarified that the CWRC is a recommendatory body and has only made a suggestion. The state will appeal to them, asserting that Karnataka lacks the capacity to release water due to insufficient water for both crops and drinking purposes. He mentioned writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a meeting but hasn’t received a response yet.

“I will once again write another letter to the PM, explaining to him the factual position on the ground. If he grants us time, we will go and meet him. MPs have also expressed their intention to exert pressure on the Centre,” the CM said.

Siddaramaiah said that their intention is not to withhold water but that the current situation leaves them with no alternative. Representatives of all parties at the meeting have agreed to this stance. The matter is expected to come up before the CWMA in the next few days, where Karnataka will strongly present its position.

Siddaramaiah, in response to a question about contacting Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, expressed uncertainty about its benefits but mentioned discussing the suggestion with the legal team.

Highlighting the significant rainfall deficit in August, Siddaramaiah attributed it to the water shortage in reservoirs. This has made it impossible for the state to comply with the Supreme Court’s orders, which mandate the release of 177.25 TMC water to Tamil Nadu in a normal year.

“As there is no water in our reservoirs this year, we have only released 37.7 TMC of water until September 11, whereas we should have released more than 99 TMC by then. To save our standing crops, we are now unable to release water fully,” he said.

“We need 70 TMC of water for crops, 33 TMC for drinking water, and 3 TMC for industry. So, we require 106 TMC of water. However, we only have 53 TMC from four reservoirs in the Cauvery basin—KRS, Kabini, Hemavati, and Harangi. Therefore, it is insufficient, and that’s why I said we are not in a position to release water to Tamil Nadu,” he added.

Shivakumar, on his part, said that the distress formula for water sharing during distress years is not yet in place.