K'taka legislature defies SC: refuses Cauvery water to TN
Says it would lead to drought-like situation
THE GOAN NETWORK
BELAGAVI
Endorsing its decision of defying the directions of the Supreme Court regarding release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, the Karnataka Legislative Council on Friday resolved that no water from the present storage of Krishna Raja Sagara could be released to Tamil Nadu.
The resolution was passed at a special session that was called over the Cauvery dispute with Tamil Nadu. Declaring that the storage level at the Krishna Raja Sagara water reservoir from where the Supreme Court had ordered the release of water is alarmingly low, the resolution stating “in this state of acute distress" the government will ensure that no water from the present storage could be drawn, “save and except for meeting drinking water requirements of the villages and towns in the Cauvery basin and for the entire city of Bengaluru.”
Which means Karnataka will not implement the Supreme Court’s directive to release 6,000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu till September 23. The special session was the follow up of the all party meeting that was convened on Wednesday, where after a consensus, the Karnataka Cabinet had decided not to implement the Supreme Court order.
According to sources in the state legislature, the resolution was passed after considering the needs of the people of Karnataka, who would be suffering with drought-like situation if water was released from Krishna Raja Sagara.
All the four major reservoirs - Krishna Raja Sagara, Harangi, Hemavathi and Kabini - have reached alarmingly low levels and hence will be used only for meeting drinking water requirements of villages, towns in Cauvery basin, including the city of Bengaluru.
The resolution was later endorsed by the Legislative Council, the upper house of the state legislature.
Observing that the actual shortfall in the basin will be known only on January 31, 2017, the upper house further noted that the combined storage in the four reservoirs has reached alarmingly low levels with 27.6 tmc ft.
