Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Tribunal award

The final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal has certainly brought with it a few disappointments for Karnataka. But surely no decision can fully conform to the position of any one party to the dispute. The most commendable aspect of the award is the stipulation that the allocation will be proportionately reduced in distress years. The final award is the outcome of 17 years of legal battle.

The need of the hour for Karnataka is to realise that the award has many positives and is not a complete surprise as similar water-sharing figures have been repeatedly suggested and discussed. With no scope for appeal in the Supreme Court, the ideal thing to do is to make the people of the State aware of the true nature of the award, which cannot be termed biased under any circumstances.

Ashutosh Dani,
Bangalore

* * *

Some politicians in Tamil Nadu speak as if they are the owners of the Cauvery, which is condemnable. It is heartening that Chief Minister Karunanidhi has welcomed the verdict. Unless the people of both States display a liberal attitude, the dispute will continue to hang fire.

T. Santhanam,
Chennai

* * *

After examining hundreds of technical documents and hearing arguments from all the stakeholders over the last 17 years, the Tribunal has come out with a reasonable verdict. The final verdict removes the restriction placed by the interim order on Karnataka that it cannot increase the irrigation acreage beyond 11.2 lakh acres. This is advantage Karnataka. Both the States should seize this historic opportunity to effectively put an end to the dispute. Prolonging this dispute further would only add to the woes of the people and farmers alike on either side of the border.

Sakthi Prasad,
Bangalore

* * *

The proposed Karnataka bandh against the Tribunal award is not in keeping with the spirit of national unity and integrity. In their own long-term interests, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu should come to a negotiated settlement based on the landmark verdict.

S. Kannan,
Chennai

* * *

No tribunal or court can satisfy all the parties. Successive governments at the Centre are responsible for turning a blind eye to the need for evolving a national water policy. The Centre must declare water a national asset and take sincere steps to interlink rivers.

S.S. Kaddargi,
Gulbarga

* * *

The Tribunal's direction to Karnataka to make available 192 tmcft of water annually to Tamil Nadu (which includes 10 tmcft for environmental purposes and 7 tmcft for Puducherry), is unsatisfactory for the upper riparian State considering that over 18 lakh hectares of lands are dependent on the Cauvery for irrigation.

Politicians should keep aside narrow considerations, and draw up a comprehensive plan to implement the award with some adjustments, if necessary, and bring to an end the long-standing dispute.

B. Jayanna Krupakar,
Mangalore

* * *

Though there is some heartburn in Karnataka and jubilation in Tamil Nadu, the overall reaction in both the States has been muted compared to 1991. The farmers of Karnataka have done very well to observe restraint. This mature approach is the result of interaction among farmers, intellectuals, and technical experts of both the States over a period of time.

M.A. Chandrashekar,
Mysore

* * *

The moot question is how effectively the award will be implemented. As neither Tamil Nadu nor Karnataka has got what it sought, there seems to be no solution to the protracted litigation. The tribunal has taken 17 years to give its final award. By the time the aggrieved parties exhaust their right to appeal, many more years will pass. Such delay will erode the common man's faith in the legal system.

A.S. Farida,
Kancheepuram

* * *

The long-awaited final award settles the issue in an equitable manner. It is now the responsibility of the State Governments and experts to work out rationally the optimum use of the available water. Problems related to irrigation and water wastage should be addressed by combining good governance with efficient management strategies.

Prachee Kukreja,
Bhopal

* * *

The dissemination of information following the award was abysmal. Some sections of the media, including television news channels, said Karnataka was to supply 419 tmcft of water to Tamil Nadu. The Hindu deserves praise for its balanced reporting. Inaccurate presentation of facts escalated tension in the Cauvery basin and Bangalore.

Irresponsible journalism will only lead to lawlessness, although that is no excuse for unruly behaviour. I hope leaders in both the States seize the moment to settle the issue amicably.

Satish Narasimhan,
London

* * *

It is an irony that we do not mind river waters flowing into the sea but all hell breaks loose when it comes to sharing them. We show scant respect for water and keep our rivers and lakes filthy. Slums come up along the banks of rivers in cities. We fight over rivers but hardly bother to keep them clean.

R. Ganesh,
Chennai

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