Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha’s recent letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi complaining against Karnataka for its failure to release Cauvery water has irked the farmers and other organisations in the district.
Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha district secretary Shambunahalli Suresh said the district administration itself has advised the farmers to grow short-term crops following deficit rainfall this year. According to the arrangement, water is being released into the canals on a rotation basis, due to shortage of water.
“About seven taluks in the district have been declared drought-hit. How is it possible to release water to the neighbouring state?” Surseh questioned.
The farmer leader, instead stressed on the intervention of the prime minister in the issue by sending a delegation to Mandya to analyse the situation.
Already 66 tmcft of water has been released to Tamil Nadu. Water is being supplied to 13 villages in the district through tankers. Apart from irrigation purpose, the drinking water needs of villages in the surroundings of the dam, and neighbouring cities like Mysuru, Mandya and Bengaluru has to be met from the dam, he said.
As Tamil Nadu is exerting pressure on the State to release water, the Central team may be able to get a first hand experience on drought faced by the people here. This may also in a way help tapping more Central funds, Suresh observed.
Water to TN
According to the statistics available, the State has been following the orders of the Cauvery Water Tribunal from the past several years.
It is releasing more than 192 tmcft per year, as per the directive, except in 2012-13, when 100 tmc of water was released due to severe drought.
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