BENGALURU: The all-party meeting to discuss Cauvery and Mahadayi water disputes will be held today (Wednesday). The meeting has gained significance as the Tamil Nadu government has approached the Supreme Court seeking directives to the Karnataka government to release Cauvery water and subsequently, the apex court deciding to constitute a separate bench to hear the dispute.
The Karnataka government is expected to announce its stand after the meeting.
Issues such as the rain deficit the state has faced, current water levels at reservoirs in the Cauvery basin, the amount of water released to Tamil Nadu so far, water requirements for drinking and agriculture purposes in the state, and others will be discussed in the meeting.
The key agenda of the meeting, however, will be to discuss the legal aspects involved in the dispute and to explore the options before the government to protect the interest of farmers in the state. The leaders will discuss how the Karnataka government should present its case strongly before the Supreme Court, which will hear the case on August 25. Meanwhile, JDS leader and former CM HD Kumaraswamy said he will attend the all-party meeting and make his party’s stand clear at the meeting.
DyCM DK Shivakumar said that the protests happening in the state over the Cauvery row are politically motivated. Speaking to reporters in Hassan, Shivakumar said that he had already placed the facts before the people and the state was facing distress. “Tamil Nadu has approached the court. We have to release 70 tmcft of water during normal rains and 32 tmcft when there is a deficit. We have already released 24 tmcft but are facing a shortage to release the remaining share. We have convened an all-party meeting where we will discuss further course of action,” he said.
