Tamil Nadu, Karnataka CMs to meet over Cauvery issue

A meeting convened by Palaniswami here yesterday took a decision in this regard, it said.

The meeting, attended by deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, among others, decided that a delegation of ministers from the Cauvery delta districts plan to meet Siddaramaiah and take up the issue.

Tamil Nadu has formally requested Karnataka to facilitate an appointment with Siddaramaiah to raise the issue of releasing its share of water from Cauvery to 'save' the samba crops in Tamil Nadu, the release said.

"In the meeting, it was decided that the Tamil Nadu chief minister and ministers from delta districts will meet the Karnataka chief minister in Bengaluru and insist on releasing water from Cauvery to save the samba crops," it said.

The proposal was being made in the interest of the delta farmers, the release added.

"In this connection, a written communication as well as a telephonic request has been made with the chief secretary of Karnataka and the principal secretary to the chief minister (Siddaramiah) seeking his appointment," with Palaniswami-led Tamil Nadu delegation, it said.

The proposal comes days after Palaniswami wrote to Siddaramiah, urging him to release Tamil Nadu's share of water from river Cauvery as per the 2007 final award by a disputes tribunal.

Palaniswami had written to Siddaramaiah on January 13, saying Tamil Nadu had received only 111.647 tmcft of Cauvery water as on January 9 at Biligundulu as against the due of 179.871 tmcft, leaving a deficit of 68.224 tmcft.

As per the 2007 order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, Tamil Nadu has to receive 192 tmcft (1,000 million cubic feet) of water every year as its share from the interstate river.

Palaniswami said the storage in the Mettur reservoir in Salem district, which caters to the Cauvery delta region, as on January 12, was a "meagre" 21.27 tmcft even as utilisable storage there was 16.27 tmcft.

This was "grossly inadequate" to meet irrigation needs of standing crops and drinking water needs in summer, he had said.

"After reserving the minimum needs of drinking water supply and perennial crops, Karnataka can release at least 15 tmcft to Tamil Nadu to make up a part of the shortfall,"

Palasniwami had told his Karnataka counterpart.

This water was required to meet the crucial needs of the standing crops in the Cauvery delta, Palaniswami had asserted.

He had also urged Siddaramaiah to instruct the officers concerned to release 7 tmcft of water immediately and the balance within a fortnight from the existing storage, to save the standing crops.

This should be done taking into consideration the plight of a large number of Delta farmers who depend on the success of their crop to meet their livelihood, he had said.