SC relief for TN in Cauvery water row
8 Feb 2013 2:07 AM GMT
The SC on Thursday ordered Karnataka to release 2.44 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu immediately for irrigating its standing crops in the Cauvery delta basin. The court had three days back directed for release of 2 TMC water, but it increased it by 0.44 TMC on the recommendation of the Central Water Commission (CWC).
A bench passed the order after going through the report submitted by an expert committee of CWC which said that only 10 per cent of cultivated land in TN needs water. The committee said 50 per cent of the arable land has already been cultivated and 40 per cent is on the verge of being cultivated and only the remaining 10 per cent requires water.
The court had, on 4 February, directed Karnataka to release 2 TMC of Cauvery water to TNÂ and had asked the CWC to file report on the water requirement of the two warring states. The court had also asked the CWC to form a three-member expert body which will visit the states and directed it to file a report within two days. On the same day, the Supreme Court had also slammed the central government for not notifying the Cauvery Water Tribunal order five years ago and had directed it to notify the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal award by 20 February.
The Cauvery Monitoring Committee had said last month 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.
A bench passed the order after going through the report submitted by an expert committee of CWC which said that only 10 per cent of cultivated land in TN needs water. The committee said 50 per cent of the arable land has already been cultivated and 40 per cent is on the verge of being cultivated and only the remaining 10 per cent requires water.
The court had, on 4 February, directed Karnataka to release 2 TMC of Cauvery water to TNÂ and had asked the CWC to file report on the water requirement of the two warring states. The court had also asked the CWC to form a three-member expert body which will visit the states and directed it to file a report within two days. On the same day, the Supreme Court had also slammed the central government for not notifying the Cauvery Water Tribunal order five years ago and had directed it to notify the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal award by 20 February.
The Cauvery Monitoring Committee had said last month 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.
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