The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Expert favours negotiated settlement of Cauvery dispute

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 14, 2007
ePaper


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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Expert favours negotiated settlement of Cauvery dispute

Staff Reporter

Warns that regional conflict over water is brewing

BANGALORE: The final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal should be regarded as a "mixed bag," and both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu should move on and prepare to face the critical months from July to September, says D. Gangappa, an irrigation expert who has been an adviser to the Cauvery Family, and leads the Akhila Bharath Jala-Sangama Andolan for the interlinking of rivers.

Mr. Gangappa told presspersons here on Tuesday that the final order and the reaction from the riparian States of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala had demonstrated that a negotiated settlement was the only way to a permanent solution, and the "court, per se, has not been able to find a lasting solution."

Now Karnataka feels hurt, and innocent people have become victims of political bungling. Damage control measures are urgently needed to avert further bitterness, Mr. Gangappa said and outlined some of these measures.

`Study needed'

He said a socio-agro-economic study of the entire Cauvery basin was the first step to facilitate a better understanding of the tribunal's orders before a review petition is submitted.

At the same time, both States need to prepare for the critical months of July to September. He suggested that additional storage reservoirs to supplement irrigation be constructed, one above the Grand Anicut and another near Rasimanal, below Biligundlu. The Mekedatu reservoir would provide assured drinking water to Bangalore and generate power. Karnataka could also create additional storage by removing silt from tanks and lakes to irrigate the existing 22 lakh acres under cultivation.

Mr. Gangappa said he and a group of individuals had formed the Kaveri Mitra Panchayat to conduct an independent study along the Cauvery and submit a report on how the tribunal award could be implemented

A national convention had been planned in Bangalore in April to find a permanent solution to this tangle, he said.

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