Centre should constitute tribunal on Pennaiyar river: Tamil Nadu govt

Chennai: Within hours of the Supreme Court verdict, the DMK dispensation in Tamil Nadu on Monday nudged the Union Government to immediately constitute a tribunal to adjudicate the long-pending dispute between the state and Karnataka over sharing the waters of the Pennaiyar River.

Tamil Nadu Water Resources Minister Durai Murugan said in a statement that the state government in 2018 challenged the construction of check dams and diversion works by Karnataka on the Pennaiyar River by arguing that water in an inter-state river is a national asset and that no state can claim exclusive rights over it.

“The Supreme Court ruled to direct the Union Government to form an Arbitral Tribunal within one month to resolve the Pennaiyar issue. Tamil Nadu's persistent efforts have yielded this positive verdict. We expect the Centre to implement it promptly to fulfill public expectations,” he said.

The minister added that Tamil Nadu will continue all necessary actions to secure Pennaiyar and Markandeya waters swiftly to safeguard the welfare of people relying on them for drinking water and agriculture.

Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are already fighting over sharing of Cauvery river water.