The Hindu : Front Page : Cauvery Tribunal verdict today

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 05, 2007
ePaper

Front Page

Front Page

Cauvery Tribunal verdict today

J. Venkatesan

Anxiety in the four riparian States

New Delhi : The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, in existence for nearly 17 years, will give its final award on Monday on the apportionment of Cauvery river water among the four riparian States of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puduchery.

The Tribunal, comprising the chairman, Justice N.P. Singh, and two members, N.S. Rao and Sudhir Narain, gave an interim award on June 25, 1991 directing Karnataka to release 205 tmcft of water every year to Tamil Nadu. It reserved the verdict on July 27, 2006.

The Tribunal was constituted on June 2, 1990, consisting of Justice Chittatosh Mookerjee as chairman, Justice S.D. Agarwala and Mr. Rao as members. Justice Chittatosh resigned in 1996 and in his place Justice Singh was appointed. Justice Agarwala expired on November 26, 2002 and in his place Mr. Narain was appointed.

Tamil Nadu's plea

During the arguments, Tamil Nadu pleaded for allocating of 562 tmcft of water to meet the irrigation, domestic and industrial requirements. While doing so, the Tribunal must take into consideration the irrigation area developed up to 1924; area developed between 1924 and 1974 as per the agreement; area contemplated by the agreement but developed between 1974 and 1990, and potential irrigation area created thereafter.

Tamil Nadu's stand was that the two agreements of 1892 and 1924 should form the basis of apportionment. It pointed out that the Indus Commission, Krishna and Narmada water disputes tribunals had all protected the existing irrigation and had applied the principle of equitable apportionment and the Cauvery Tribunal should follow the same principle.

Going by the past experience of Karnataka not honouring the interim award, Tamil Nadu had pleaded for setting up of an Authority to administer and control all the specified reservoirs in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu so as to ensure timely release of due share of waters to each State as per the final award of the Tribunal and to ensure carry over storages of waters in the reservoirs.

In Tamil Nadu's calculation, Karnataka's requirement would be 175 tmcft, which would include the requirement for irrigation, drinking purposes and domestic and industrial use. Similarly, for Kerala the requirement would be 8.32 tmcft and Puduchery 7.266 tmcft.

Karnataka's stand

Karnataka had argued that Tamil Nadu had not produced any evidence to substantiate its claim that its requirement was 562 tmcft and that there was no need for any Authority to monitor implementation of the final award. It pleaded that its share of water should be 465 tmcft.It said the Cauvery Mettur Project Report of 1921 clearly disclosed the water requirements for areas dependent on Mettur. As per this, the water requirement for Tamil Nadu for 15.24 lakh acres, situated below the Grand Anicut was 242 tmcft and an additional 11 tmcft for the increased irrigation area. Of the total entitlement of 253 tmcft, the availability within Tamil Nadu Cauvery basin was about 230 tmcft and hence it was entitled to get only the deficit of 23 tmcft from Karnataka.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page