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CHENNAI: In a significant political initiative to resolve the long-pending Cauvery river water dispute, including the contentious Mekedatu dam project, the chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are set to hold talks next month in an attempt to find a political solution to the decades-old inter-State issue.
Chief Ministers C Joseph Vijay and DK Shivakumar are expected to meet on August 3, said official sources.
The proposed talks come close on the heels of Tamil Nadu urging the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to direct Karnataka to release water in accordance with the Supreme Court's final award during the 53rd meeting in New Delhi. Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department argued that the State had received only 3.442 TMC of water between June 1 and July 19, against its allocated 28.337 TMC, leaving a shortfall of 24.896 TMC.
However, Karnataka opposed the demand, citing a severe rainfall deficit and low storage in its reservoirs, and maintained that it was unable to release water because of drought-like conditions, particularly around Bengaluru. Taking note of the submissions from both States, the Authority decided to review the situation further through the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC).
Against this backdrop, the proposed meeting between the two chief ministers is expected to focus on addressing the recurring river water dispute, including the Mekedatu balancing reservoir project, through political dialogue.
If the meeting takes place as scheduled, it will mark the first direct meeting between the chief ministers of the two states on the Cauvery issue in 14 years.
The last such high-level political engagement was held in November 2012, when the then chief minister J Jayalalithaa met her Karnataka counterpart Jagadish Shettar to discuss the sharing of Cauvery water.
The proposed talks assume significance as inadequate water releases have affected Kuruvai cultivation in the Cauvery Delta and raised concerns over the ensuing Samba cultivation.