Thirsty K’taka gets CMC relief

New Delhi: In a major reprieve for the state, the Cauvery Monitoring Committee (CMC) on Thursday refused to order Karnataka to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu for the month of January on the grounds that the upper riparian state had only 16 TMC ft of water which was required for drinking water needs.
Declaring that a notification of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) final award was under serious consideration, it said that 1.6 TMC ft of water has already been released into the Mettur reservoir between January 1 and 9, higher than the award of 1.51 TMC for January 2013, and that it was constrained to give priority to the drinking water needs of Karnataka over the irrigation requirements of Tamil Nadu.
who gets what
>  419 tmcft of water to Tamil Nadu as against a demand of 562 tmcft.
> 270 tmcft of water to Karnataka, as against a demand of 465 tmcft.
> Kerala and Puducherry have been allocated 30 tmcft and 7 tmcft,respectively.
> 10 tmcft has been reserved for environment protection purpose.
CMC relief for state: No water for TN in Jan.
The Cauvery Monitoring Committee (CMC) on Thur­sday declared that the notification of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) final award was under consideration and a decision is expected soon. The CWC also directed Karnataka to spell out its stand on the notification in two days.
In a major relief to Karnataka, the CMC refu­sed to order Karnata­ka to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu for January as the upper riparian state had only 16 TMC ft of water which is required for drinking water needs.
The CMC also said that 1.6 TMC ft water has already flown into Mettur reservoir between January 1 and 9 against the award of 1.51 TMC for January 2013 and that it was constrained to give priority to the drinking water needs of Karn­ataka over the irrigation requ­irements of Tamil Nadu. Earlier, Tamil Nadu demanded 37 TMC ft of water from June to Dec­ember 2012 and an additional 18 TMC ft for January. The lower riparian state also insisted that the notification of CWDT award be done immediately.
When it was pointed out that Karnataka’s counsel in the Supreme Court, Fali S. Nariman had concurred with Tamil Nadu on the notification, Karnataka officials promised to discuss the matter with their Chief Minister and get back in two days.
Sources also said that Minister for Labour and Employment Mallikarjun Kharge attempted to prevail on Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, after the union cabinet meeting, to give a direction not to issue the notification. But Dr Singh gently asked him if the orders of the Supreme Court could be disrespected.
In its final award, the CWDT has allocated 419 tmcft of water to Tamil Nadu as against a demand of 562 tmcft and 270 tmcft of water to Karnataka as against a demand of 465 tmcft.
Kerala and Puducherry have been allocated 30 tmcft and 7 tmcft respectively and 10 tmcft has been reserved for environment protection purpose.