OVER A CUP OF COFFEE - SHARING CAUVERY WATER
TALA CAUVERY
Gopu and Shyam met after a gap of almost a fortnight and had to remind themselves that they are not alive to the changing environment and that too, the much debated Cauvery Water Issue. Even as they ordered for the coffee, Shyam told Gopu that the changing environment of both in Tamilnadu and Karnataka is not being taken into account and the sharing of water has to be reviewed every 10 years with a clear stipulation to the States concerned that the augmentation of water to satisfy the needs of both farmers for irrigation and all people of their drinking needs should be the prime deciding factor.
Gopu told it was very easy to sum up like that, but the States have their own priorities and if they have to conform to certain regulations of any deciding authority in the form of Tribunal or river authority, the longer the duration than 10 years only is practical. He said any decision will be brought to the Court for further enhancement of quantum of water as a dispute and the cases will run for years.
Hence Gopu said that the projection of water, anything additional than whatever each state was getting has to be from an additional source or sources and an additional project or projects. This has to be enforced to both the States. Both States should be encouraged to have desalination of sea water and augment their use and Centre has to provide the necessary funds with a time frame for completion of projects. Naturally this will involve the people of the area where the projects are undertaken, and necessary steps should be taken offer alternate employments.
Shyam said it is wiser that way, but has only taken so many years even to talk about alternatives. He recalled that the British India and Princely State of Mysore were involved in the sharing of Cauvery water and they had agreements too in 1892 and 1924. The above agreements were between the Madras Presidency and Princely State of Mysore. 802 km flow of Kaveri river has 44000 sqkm basin area in Tamilnadu and 32000 sqkm in Karnataka. Mysore named Karnataka after independence requested Tamil Nadu seeking permission to make changes to various clauses after 12 years of independence. But Tamil Nadu Government turned that down saying they can be addressed only when the agreement runs out in 1974. In 1970, Cauvery fact finding committee found that the Tamilandu irrigation area has increased from 14,40,000 acres to 25,80,000 acres whereas the Karnataka irrigation stood at 6,80,000 acres.
Gopu agreed with Shyam and also said he would add that further developments took place in the year 1990. Thus the States tried by negotiations but failed to come to any agreement. After considerable negotiations between the States and the Centre, a tribunal was set up in 1990 which gave its water distribution solution in 2007. The tribunal allocated 419 billion cuft (12 cu Km) to Tamilnadu, 270 billion cuft (7.6 cukm) to Karnataka, 30 billion cuft (0.8 cuKm) to Kerala and 7 billion cuft (0.2 cu Km) for Puduchery. All the States filed to review the quantum of water distribution suggested by the Tribunal.
TALA CAUVERY
Gopu and Shyam met after a gap of almost a fortnight and had to remind themselves that they are not alive to the changing environment and that too, the much debated Cauvery Water Issue. Even as they ordered for the coffee, Shyam told Gopu that the changing environment of both in Tamilnadu and Karnataka is not being taken into account and the sharing of water has to be reviewed every 10 years with a clear stipulation to the States concerned that the augmentation of water to satisfy the needs of both farmers for irrigation and all people of their drinking needs should be the prime deciding factor.
Gopu told it was very easy to sum up like that, but the States have their own priorities and if they have to conform to certain regulations of any deciding authority in the form of Tribunal or river authority, the longer the duration than 10 years only is practical. He said any decision will be brought to the Court for further enhancement of quantum of water as a dispute and the cases will run for years.
Hence Gopu said that the projection of water, anything additional than whatever each state was getting has to be from an additional source or sources and an additional project or projects. This has to be enforced to both the States. Both States should be encouraged to have desalination of sea water and augment their use and Centre has to provide the necessary funds with a time frame for completion of projects. Naturally this will involve the people of the area where the projects are undertaken, and necessary steps should be taken offer alternate employments.
Shyam said it is wiser that way, but has only taken so many years even to talk about alternatives. He recalled that the British India and Princely State of Mysore were involved in the sharing of Cauvery water and they had agreements too in 1892 and 1924. The above agreements were between the Madras Presidency and Princely State of Mysore. 802 km flow of Kaveri river has 44000 sqkm basin area in Tamilnadu and 32000 sqkm in Karnataka. Mysore named Karnataka after independence requested Tamil Nadu seeking permission to make changes to various clauses after 12 years of independence. But Tamil Nadu Government turned that down saying they can be addressed only when the agreement runs out in 1974. In 1970, Cauvery fact finding committee found that the Tamilandu irrigation area has increased from 14,40,000 acres to 25,80,000 acres whereas the Karnataka irrigation stood at 6,80,000 acres.
Gopu agreed with Shyam and also said he would add that further developments took place in the year 1990. Thus the States tried by negotiations but failed to come to any agreement. After considerable negotiations between the States and the Centre, a tribunal was set up in 1990 which gave its water distribution solution in 2007. The tribunal allocated 419 billion cuft (12 cu Km) to Tamilnadu, 270 billion cuft (7.6 cukm) to Karnataka, 30 billion cuft (0.8 cuKm) to Kerala and 7 billion cuft (0.2 cu Km) for Puduchery. All the States filed to review the quantum of water distribution suggested by the Tribunal.
Earlier, even during the British Rule there were differences
on building Dams at Kannambadi and Mettur with the amount of water to be
stored. Then in 1892 too, the then
Government of India, went for an arbitration and permission was granted for 11TMC
only for Karnataka to build its Dam.
Mettur dam was accorded a capacity of 80 TMC. However after the Independence, things changed
and Karnataka built dams on Rivers Kabini (17 TMC capacity) and River Hemavathi
(37TMC) in the Cauvery river system. Krishnarajasagar Dam at Mysore has the
capacity of 49.45TMC presently.
In Tamilnadu dams, Bhavani sagar-33 TMC, Mettur-93 TMC, Amaravati-4/5 TMC are on cauvery water system. Mettur dam though large than other Dams of Tamilnadu is smaller than Linganamakki, Supa, Hospete and Alamatti. This Shyam told is the point to be considered by the Tamilnadu Government why the other means of augmenting water is very essential, since the States which have the larger dams themselves are not self-sufficient in water. Tamilnadu should also consider about the rain shadow region of the state.
Both Gopu and Shyam felt the agreements if at all gets changed for sharing water would only solve the immediate requirements and necessary planning of both States required for bringing in New Projects for all new increase in Irrigation and Drinking purposes and desalination of sea water is inescapable as one of the source of water for both the states.
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