Water has always been the quiet currency of neighbors, and in the Cauvery basin that old truth has returned to the front pages. Karnataka's Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has chosen patience over haste: before his government moves again on a water-release order from the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee, it will seek counsel from lawyers and opposition leaders at a meeting set for Sunday. The state has already asked the Cauvery Water Management Authority to reduce or defer a flow of 3,500 cusecs to Tamil Nadu, arguing that reservoirs remain below normal and that its own citizens and farmers mus
Karnataka Defers Cauvery Response to Legal Advice and All-Party Meeting Amid Water Release Order
"There is no need for a bandh," the chief minister said.
Mark
Why is Karnataka not simply complying with the order?
Mimi
It has filed a review petition with the CWMA. The CWRC ordered 3,500 cusecs a day at Biligundlu for 15 days, and the state wants a smaller quantity or a deferment while the water situation is reviewed.
Mark
What is the chief minister's main argument?
Mimi
That farmers and drinking water both have to be protected. He says Karnataka needs about 40 tmc ft until next summer, including roughly 4 tmc ft lost to evaporation.
Luke
That 40 tmc ft is the government's own figure, though. The report doesn't show how it was calculated or whether anyone has checked it.
Mark
He cited reservoir levels too. Do they help his case?
Mimi
They cut both ways. KRS is at 36%, which is low, but Harangi is at 95% and Kabini at 83%. He says inflows have improved over the last two to three days but are still below normal.
Luke
He says the data is public, which is fair, but the report gives only a snapshot. Whether this is a shortfall or just a slow start to the season is not something these numbers settle.
Mark
And the criticism that Karnataka argued its case badly?
Mimi
He denies it. He says the technical advisers are the same ones who served under the previous BJP government.
Luke
That is his rebuttal, and we don't have the critics' side here. Also, nothing says how the review petition will be decided. That is still unknown.
Mark
What happens next?
Mimi
An all-party meeting on Sunday, and a bandh proposed for August 13, which he is urging people not to hold. The August 3 meeting with Tamil Nadu's chief minister has been requested to be deferred.
O Pulso
- A CWRC order to release 3,500 cusecs to Tamil Nadu at Biligundlu for 15 days has pushed Karnataka into a tense standoff over scarce water.
- KRS sits at just 36 percent while Harangi is nearly full, a split picture that fuels fears about what the state can spare.
- Karnataka has filed a review petition seeking a smaller release or a deferment, and its Union ministers are carrying the case to Delhi.
- An all-party meeting on Sunday and a proposed August 13 statewide bandh are colliding, with Shivakumar urging dialogue over street protest.
- The next move remains unsettled, with the outcome hinging on legal advice, the Sunday consultation and whether the bandh goes ahead.
Water has always been the quiet currency of neighbors, and in the Cauvery basin that old truth has returned to the front pages. Karnataka's Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has chosen patience over haste: before his government moves again on a water-release order from the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee, it will seek counsel from lawyers and opposition leaders at a meeting set for Sunday. The state has already asked the Cauvery Water Management Authority to reduce or defer a flow of 3,500 cusecs to Tamil Nadu, arguing that reservoirs remain below normal and that its own citizens and farmers must be protected first. Whether that caution settles the dispute or simply postpones it will depend on the rains, the courts and the goodwill that neighboring states can still muster.
On Friday, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar told reporters in Bengaluru that his government would not decide its next step on the Cauvery dispute until it had heard from legal experts and opposition leaders. The meeting that will provide that counsel is scheduled for Sunday.
The dispute began with an order from the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee directing Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs daily to Tamil Nadu at Biligundlu for 15 days. The state responded by filing a review petition before the Cauvery Water Management Authority, asking for a smaller release or a deferment while the hydrological situation is reviewed. Shivakumar said Tamil Nadu had sought far more water and that the committee had directed roughly half of that demand.
Reservoir levels are improving but remain below normal. Harangi is at 95 percent and KRS at 36 percent. Karnataka says it needs about 40 tmc ft to last until next summer, including evaporation losses, and that any surplus will be shared under the water-sharing formula. Shivakumar insisted there would be no drinking water crisis and pledged to protect both farmers and city supplies.
He also thanked Union ministers and leaders across party lines for their support, and urged citizens to avoid the proposed August 13 statewide bandh, which he said would only inconvenience the public. A planned August 3 meeting with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay was deferred amid tensions in Karnataka. Attention now turns to Sunday's meeting and to whether the bandh proceeds.
On Friday, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar told reporters in Bengaluru that his government would not decide its next move on the Cauvery water dispute until it had heard from legal experts and opposition leaders. The occasion for that consultation is an all-party meeting scheduled for Sunday.
The dispute turns on an order from the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee, or CWRC. It directed Karnataka to ensure a daily flow of 3,500 cusecs to Tamil Nadu at Biligundlu for 15 days. Karnataka responded by filing a review petition before the Cauvery Water Management Authority, the CWMA.
Shivakumar described how the state argued its case. According to him, officers, the Advocate General and the legal team pressed Karnataka's position strongly. The state asked for a smaller quantity of water to be released or, failing that, for the order to be deferred so the hydrological situation could be reviewed. Tamil Nadu, he said, pushed for a higher release. He added that Tamil Nadu had originally sought 9.94 tmc ft, and that the CWRC directed Karnataka to release about half that quantity.
The chief minister also rejected criticism that Karnataka had not presented its case adequately before the CWMA. He said the government kept the same technical advisers who represented the state under the previous BJP government.
He offered figures on the reservoirs, noting that all the data is in the public domain. Inflows have improved over the past two to three days but remain below normal. Harangi stands at 95% of capacity, Kabini at 83%, Hemavathi at 67% and Krishnaraja Sagar, known as KRS, at 36%.
On drinking water, Shivakumar said there would be no crisis. Karnataka needs around 40 tmc ft to last until next summer, a figure that includes about 4 tmc ft lost to evaporation. Any surplus, he said, would be shared under the Cauvery water-sharing formula. "It is the government's responsibility to protect farmers' interests while ensuring drinking water security. We will safeguard both," he said.
He said the state has had cooperation from Union ministers, MPs and leaders across party lines. Union ministers Pralhad Joshi, V Somanna and Shobha Karandlaje took up Karnataka's concerns with the Centre after examining the review petition, he added.
Shivakumar also appealed against a proposed statewide bandh on August 13. Such protests, he argued, would only inconvenience the public without helping resolve the dispute. "There is no need for a bandh," he said.
A meeting with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay had been proposed for August 3. Shivakumar said he asked that it be deferred because of the tensions prevailing in Karnataka. He said the issue should be settled through dialogue and goodwill. Sunday's all-party meeting, where he says he will hear legal experts, former chief ministers, MPs and opposition leaders, is the next point to watch, along with whether the August 13 bandh goes ahead.
Citações Notáveis
It is the government's responsibility to protect farmers' interests while ensuring drinking water security. We will safeguard both.— DK Shivakumar, Karnataka Chief Minister
We should resolve the issue through dialogue and goodwill.— DK Shivakumar, Karnataka Chief Minister
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Leia o original em The Economic Times ↗
Politics & Governance