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Need to revisit Cauvery water management: Panel
A day before the crucial hearing on Cauvery dispute in the Supreme Court, a high-level panel on Monday suggested doing away with “outdated and unscientific water application techniques” to resolve the wrangle, saying both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were facing water shortage, creating unemployment and financial hardship for the people.
By
migrator
migrator
New Delhi
The apex court-appointed Supervisory Committee, formed to inspect Cauvery basin to assess the ground realities in the region, said the neighbouring riparian states needed to appreciate interest of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to protect their established irrigation and Karnataka’s aspirations for development and educate their people accordingly.
The panel in its 40-page report has noted that farmers in both states were in severe distress and adequate crop compensation must be provided to them. “There has been large number of suicides reported in Karnataka’s Mandya district,” the report said in its assessment of the social aspects of the situation in the Cauvery basin.
However, the technical assessment of the ground reality stated that “the water application techniques are outdated and unscientific and the value of water is not realised. The water applied to the field is on the concept of flooding from one field to another adjacent field and as such the water consumption is on the higher side and during period of distress, this becomes very significant depending upon the soil condition”.
“The infrastructure to deliver water to the farmers is century old and has very low conveyance efficiency. This needs to be modernised for optimal use of scarce water.”
INFRASTRUCTURE BLAMED
Some of the key points from the 40-page report submitted by technical committee appointed by Supreme Court review the situation in Cauvery basin.
- Farmers in both states are in severe distress and adequate crop compensation must be provided to them. There have been large number of suicides reported in Karnataka’s Mandya district.
- The infrastructure to deliver water to the farmers is s century old and has very lowconveyance efficiency. This needs to be modernised for optimal use of scarce water.
- In the absence of required water, the labour employment for farming and fishing is also limited, creating unemployement.
- On-farm development works may be provided to ensure equitable distribution of water to individual farmer’s field.
- The Supreme Court will hear the case on Tuesday.
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