Moily urges PM to review the CRA order

 Union Power and Corporate Affairs M Veerappa Moily today urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to review Cauvery River Authority's September 19 order directing Karnataka to release water to Tamil Nadu in view of the 'disastrous situation' in the Cauvery basin in his state.

"This may be done either by the Cauvery Monitoring Committee or by convening a meeting of CRA, consisting of the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Puducherry and Kerala," he said in a letter to Singh.

The former Karnataka Chief Minister said he had already apprised Singh of the situation at a meeting with him today.

Moily drew Singh's attention to hardships of farmers in Cauvery basin in Karnataka following withering of crops due to withdrawal of South West Monsoon last month and a steep decline in inflows to Kabini and Krishna Raja Sagar dams.

"Depletion of water on the Karnataka side will further deteriorate the situation. It is but natural that farmers are very much agitated in view of the depleting water situation on account of the release", he said.

In contrast, he claimed the North-East monsoon has set in over Tamil Nadu, which would solely benefit that state. "It is a matter of fact that around 22,000 sq.km is uncontrolled catchment area below Karnataka reservoirs and flows generated in the catchment area flow to Tamil Nadu and are measured at Central Water Commission gate station at Biligundlu."

He noted that Karnataka had already complied with the CRA's decision to release 9,000 cusecs per day to Tamil Nadu.

Karnataka had stopped water release from KRS dam on the night of October 8, hours after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who heads CRA, made it clear only CRA can review its order directing the state to release 9,000 cusecs to Tamil Nadu.