NEW DELHI: The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) on Tuesday directed the Karnataka government to ensure the release of the stipulated quantity of flows as per the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT).
According to the final CWDT award, Karnataka should release 7.35 tmcft water for the rest of December, at the interstate connecting point Biligundulu on an average daily flow of 2,744 cusecs.
In the 91st meeting of the CWRC under the chairmanship of Vineet Gupta, the panel made a decision based on storage position, inflows and outflows of eight designated reservoirs and hydrometeorological conditions in the Cauvery basin. The next meeting will be held on January 9.
“The state of Karnataka needs to ensure flows at Biligundulu stipulated by CWDT, as modified by the Supreme Court, for the remaining period of December 2023 and January 2024, when the hydrometeorological conditions in the Cauvery basin will be reviewed,” Gupta told TNIE.
A good northeast monsoon has come as a relief to Tamil Nadu and also, the committee recognised the critical drought-like condition in the Cauvery basin in Karnataka.
“After January 31, there is no need for extra water required as harvesting of crops would start in February in TN while Karnataka needs to maintain the environmental flow of the river,” Gupta added. The committee observed that the live storage in the four reservoirs of Karnataka is 42.546 tmcft, which is 40.69% of the total live storage. In Tamil Nadu, it is 54.089 tmcft, which is 41.77% of the total live storage.
