Cauvery crisis: The Centre cannot stay quiet

The Supreme Court’s latest order to Karnataka to release 6,000 cusecs (cubic feet per second) of the Cauvery waters daily to Tamil Nadu till September 27 has upset

The Supreme Court’s latest order to Karnataka to release 6,000 cusecs (cubic feet per second) of the Cauvery waters daily to Tamil Nadu till September 27 has upset both the states. From the beginning of this month, Karnataka has been saying that it can’t afford to release the waters since its storage level is depleting and the monsoon has ended in its catchment area. Tamil Nadu — though it has more storage in its reservoirs than Karnataka — is unhappy with the order because it has 1.5 times more area under irrigation than its neighbour and grows water-intensive crops. Moreover, Tamil Nadu farmers, unlike farmers in Karnataka who grow one crop, cultivate three crops and expect all three to be fed by the Cauvery waters.

HT Image

The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal in 2007 had envisaged something called ‘classic distress years’ and this year has turned out to be one. It also wanted the states to divide the waters in such years on a pro-rata basis. According to its allocations, of the 740 TMC feet (thousand million cubic feet) of the waters available in the basin, Tamil Nadu was to get 419 TMC feet, Karnataka 270 TMC feet , Kerala 30 TMC feet and Pondicherry seven TMC feet. Fourteen TMC feet was to be left for environmental purposes. The problem is that in a distress year (2012 and 2016) neither state is willing to trust the other about the water availability in their reservoirs, leading to litigation in the Supreme Court, which gives ad hoc relief satisfying no one.

A mechanism to assess the situation has not evolved yet because the Cauvery Management Board was never set up. The reason for the delay is that the court is yet to give its final decision on the various special leave petitions filed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, seeking clarifications and raising objections to the Tribunal award. The court has now asked the Centre to establish the board in four weeks.

Meanwhile, the Cauvery Supervisory Authority, an ad hoc body under the central government, has also been rendered ineffectual after the court overruled its decision asking Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs per day, by doubling the quantum. While there is pressure on Karnataka to ignore the court order, the Centre is silent. It is time it stepped in to calm the situation, form a committee to look into water availability and sit with states to evolve a long-term formula (changing the agrarian pattern) on the grounds suggested by the Tribunal.

(Girish Nikam is a senior journalist. The views expressed are personal.)