<p>A high-powered technical committee formed by the Supreme Court to make ground analysis in Cauvery basin states has favoured “optimal, dynamic and resilient” planning of the cropped area to neutralise the deficit impact of water allocation.<br /><br />It pointed out that the infrastructure to deliver water to the farmers was century-old with very low conveyance efficiency which needs to be modernised for optimal use of scarce water.<br /><br />The committee headed by Central Water Commission chairman G S Jha and comprising representatives from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala, concluded that the water application techniques are outdated and unscientific and the value of water was not realised.<br /><br />“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 conveyance efficiency can be further improved by piped distribution network and application efficiency by micro irrigation (sprinkler and drip) and precision irrigation,” it said.<br /><br />Social impact<br /><br />Highlighting the social impact of water shortage, the committee cited the plight of farmers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. In the absence of required water, the labour employment for farming and fishing is also limited, creating a scenario of unemployment and financial hardship to them.<br /><br />A large number of suicides have been reported from Mandya district of Karnataka. The Karnataka government has declared 42 of the 48 taluks under Cauvery basin as drought-affected on the Central government guidelines, it said.</p>.<p>After having recorded the live storages in Karnataka reservoirs as on October 13 as 22.90 tmcft and the storage in the Mettur dam in Tamil Nadu as 31.66 tmcft, the committee noted that the total water requirements of Karnataka up to the end of May 2017 including irrigation water up to December 2016, drinking water up to May 2017 and evaporation loss of 6 tmcft are 65.48 tmcft. The expected availability up to the end of May 2017 is 89.16 tmcft.<br /><br />The committee also pointed out that the efforts by Tamil Nadu in providing subsidised agricultural inputs can bear fruits only when sufficient water is made available for the full crop period. At the same time, the committee said that the drinking water demands as made by Karnataka needs to be optimised and efficient delivery mechanism needs to be put in place. It also favoured automated water measuring instrumentation, crop alignment and diversification and participatory irrigation management for optimal, efficient and equitable distribution of water amongst the farmers. </p>
<p>A high-powered technical committee formed by the Supreme Court to make ground analysis in Cauvery basin states has favoured “optimal, dynamic and resilient” planning of the cropped area to neutralise the deficit impact of water allocation.<br /><br />It pointed out that the infrastructure to deliver water to the farmers was century-old with very low conveyance efficiency which needs to be modernised for optimal use of scarce water.<br /><br />The committee headed by Central Water Commission chairman G S Jha and comprising representatives from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala, concluded that the water application techniques are outdated and unscientific and the value of water was not realised.<br /><br />“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 conveyance efficiency can be further improved by piped distribution network and application efficiency by micro irrigation (sprinkler and drip) and precision irrigation,” it said.<br /><br />Social impact<br /><br />Highlighting the social impact of water shortage, the committee cited the plight of farmers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. In the absence of required water, the labour employment for farming and fishing is also limited, creating a scenario of unemployment and financial hardship to them.<br /><br />A large number of suicides have been reported from Mandya district of Karnataka. The Karnataka government has declared 42 of the 48 taluks under Cauvery basin as drought-affected on the Central government guidelines, it said.</p>.<p>After having recorded the live storages in Karnataka reservoirs as on October 13 as 22.90 tmcft and the storage in the Mettur dam in Tamil Nadu as 31.66 tmcft, the committee noted that the total water requirements of Karnataka up to the end of May 2017 including irrigation water up to December 2016, drinking water up to May 2017 and evaporation loss of 6 tmcft are 65.48 tmcft. The expected availability up to the end of May 2017 is 89.16 tmcft.<br /><br />The committee also pointed out that the efforts by Tamil Nadu in providing subsidised agricultural inputs can bear fruits only when sufficient water is made available for the full crop period. At the same time, the committee said that the drinking water demands as made by Karnataka needs to be optimised and efficient delivery mechanism needs to be put in place. It also favoured automated water measuring instrumentation, crop alignment and diversification and participatory irrigation management for optimal, efficient and equitable distribution of water amongst the farmers. </p>
