New Delhi: Karnataka has rejected the "report" of the two assessors of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal on apportionment of water among the riparian States of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Pondicherry.

According to the assessors' estimate released in May, Tamil Nadu is to get 395 tmcft of water for irrigating 24.70 lakh acres of land; Karnataka 250 tmcft for irrigating 18.85 lakh acres; Kerala 33.40 tmcft and Pondicherry 7 tmcft.

This estimate is based on the total average availability of 740 tmcft water in the Cauvery basin.

Tamil Nadu had objected to the report.

In its response, Karnataka said the advice of the assessors could be described only as "notes" and not as "report."

It said that these notes "do not clearly bring out the views/reasoning of the assessors and are not capable of being understood/comprehended or responded to and commented on. Further they were incomplete because of the absence of disclosure on technical issues, namely groundwater and surface water."

Tracing the proceedings before the tribunal in the past 16 years, Karnataka said that at no time had the tribunal thought it fit to disclose to the parties all or any of the notes/reports of the assessors, which were circulated to the chairman and the two members.

It said that crop water requirement had been argued before the tribunal from the start on an adversarial basis for arriving at an adjudication (with advice from assessors) and no attempt had been initiated for the past 16 years for undertaking an independent investigation to collect evidence on any point.

Karnataka said: "it is neither fair nor appropriate, particularly at this stage after the conclusion of arguments (on all issues relating to crop water requirements) to embark on any re-opening of matters as proposed in the order of the two members of the tribunal."

Any such re-opening of matters already argued would be prejudicial to the interest of Karnataka.

The assessors' "reports" were contrary to or inconsistent with Karnataka's case and the written submissions and hence the same were not accepted as correct, the State said.

The tribunal is to meet on July 10 to consider the responses of the States.

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