"The per capita water availability in Tamil Nadu is at an alarming level," K Annamalai said (File)
BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai slammed the DMK-led state government on Monday for taking no constructive measures to mitigate the water crisis in the state.
He said that per capita water availability in Tamil Nadu is at an alarming level and that if measures are not taken, the state will face extreme water scarcity by 2050.
"The per capita water availability in Tamil Nadu is at an alarming level, & the State government has taken no constructive measures to mitigate this risk," Annamalai posted on X.
"While the cultivable land area is already at a record low, TN will have extreme water scarcity by 2050 if no constructive measures are taken now," he added.
The water crisis in the state has been in the spotlight again after Karntaka decided to release only 8,000 cusecs of water from the Cauvery River to Tamil Nadu instead of the 1 tmcft (11,500 cusecs) of water that the CWRC directed the state to release.
On July 14, the Karnataka government The Tamil Nadu government has condemned Karnataka's decision and will convene an all-party meeting on Tuesday.
The meeting will be held at around 11 am at the State Secretariat and will be chaired by Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan.
The Karnataka government took the decision after an 'all-party meeting' was held on Sunday to discuss issues related to the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
The meeting was attended by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, BJP leader CT Ravi, and other prominent leaders of the state.
After an all-party meeting at Vidhana Soudha, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah said, "Today an all-party meeting took place in which Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, BJP leaders and Mysuru basin leaders were present. They opined that we should not release water and appeal before CWMA. Mohan Katarki, a member of the legal team, suggested that considering the present situation, we can release 8,000 cusecs of water and if rain comes, we will increase the number. This decision has been taken in the meeting."
Meanwhile, CM Siddaramaiah, in a press conference, said, "The collective opinion is that we can't leave 1 TMC of water in Tamil Nadu every day. The second is that we have to appeal before the court as we can't leave 1 TMC water and we have decided to leave 8,000 cusecs every day to Tamil Nadu."
Earlier in March this year, Bengaluru was gripped by a severe water crisis. As many as 7,082 villages across Karnataka and 1,193 wards, including in Bengaluru Urban District, were vulnerable to a drinking water crisis in the coming months, as per an assessment made by the government as of February 10.
A report by the revenue department has identified the majority of villages in Tumakuru district (746) and most wards in Uttara Kannada, as staring at a grave water crisis in the days ahead.
The governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have been locked in a protracted tussle over the sharing of Cauvery waters. The river is seen as a major source of sustenance for the people in the two states.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)