JOIN USThe state government has convened a meeting of elected representatives from the Cauvery basin on August 14 to decide whether to release water into the canals for kharif crop.
A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with in-charge ministers of various districts in the Cauvery basin on Friday.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Water Resources Minister M B Patil said deficient rainfall had resulted in poor inflow to the four reservoirs of Cauvery - Harangi, Hemavathi, KRS and Kabini. The basin was witnessing a distress situation - the worst in the last 43 years.
He said the total inflow during the water year from June 1 stood at 57.83 tmcft as against the long-term 43-year average of 122.88 tmcft - a shortfall of 52.94%. The present storage in the four reservoirs is 43.07 tmcft against a gross storage of 114.50 tmcft.
Friday’s meeting decided to release one tmcft from Hemavathi reservoir to the right bank upper canals to fill tanks and drinking purposes.
The August 14 meeting will decide on whether to retain the water for drinking purposes or to release some amount into the canals for water-intensive crops. A meeting of elected representatives of Mandya district is likely to be held on August 9.
Due to the distress situation, the minister said Karnataka has released only seven tmcft water to Tamil Nadu since June 1 as against 34 tmcft stipulated by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award.