JOIN USThe Janata Dal (Secular), on Friday, urged the Central Water Commission (CWC) officials to safeguard the interests of Karnataka’s farmers by recommending the Cauvery River Authority (CRA) to immediately stop the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.
In a 20-page memorandum signed by the party’s elected representatives from the Cauvery basin region, including H D Kumaraswamy, the JD(S) requested the CWC to give a realistic picture of the basin region, especially Mandya district, to the CRA.
The total irrigated area in the command area of the four reservoirs is 8.09 lakh acres and it requires 270 tmc ft of water annually. In the current year, the command area requires 155 tmc ft of water. But water availability if only 76 tmc ft.
If the State continues to release 9,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu till October 15 as per the CRA order, the State will be left with only 56 tmc ft. While, another 40 tmc ft is required for drinking water purpose. This will leave the farmers badly hit, the party said in the memorandum.
CPM lashes out at BJP
Members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) state unit said the State should follow the ‘law of the land’, which meant that the Supreme Court direction has to be implemented.
Addressing the media in Bangalore on Friday, secretariat member G N Nagaraj said the State has erred in presenting the distress it faced before the CRA. Hence, a plethora of problems are being faced by the State now.
When asked whether the State should release water to Tamil Nadu as per the court order, Nagaraj said that the law should be followed.
The BJP, due to its selfish politics, has invited the problem. Other parties have also taken an opportunist stand. At least now, the State should convince the CRA on the problems it was facing due to paucity of water, he said.