New Delhi:
Supreme Court today indicated that Karnataka should release water from the Cauvery River to Tamil Nadu after meeting the state's drinking water requirements.
However, the court will its pass orders tomorrow. It has directed Karnataka state officials to file an affidavit, by 2 PM tomorrow, documenting the state's drinking water usage pattern over the past 20 years.
The court was hearing Tamil Nadu's petition seeking immediate release of 12 TMC of water. Tamil Nadu claims that failure by its neighbour to release water had resulted in damage to crops in the state's rice belt.
Last month, the Cauvery Monitoring Committee, after hearing arguments from both sides, said that since current storage level in Karnataka was sufficient only to meet the state's drinking water requirements, it was not in a position to release water to Tamil Nadu. After this final order, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka approached the apex court.
Karnataka argued that Tamil Nadu, which is aggrieved by the Cauvery Monitoring Committee could approach the Cauvery Regulatory Authority headed by the Prime Minister.
Today, addressing the Karnataka administration, the judge said some equitable formula to share water has to be found. "What pains us is the observation made by Cauvery Monitoring Committee (CMC) that your consistent behaviour is you never implemented the Cauvery Tribunal award. Tamil Nadu and its citizens can't suffer even though drinking water is the priority," the judge said.
The court also said, "Our concern is how to balance your (Karnataka) drinking water requirement and Tamil Nadu's requirement for irrigation."
The Cauvery River originates in Karnataka and meanders its way over almost 800 km in Tamil Nadu; decades-old agreements mandate that its water has to be shared with Tamil Nadu. Karnataka has four dams on the river; Tamil Nadu has two.
The topography of the region means that Karnataka can control how much water is released downstream to Tamil Nadu.