Pramesh S Jain
*This year we have given Tamil Nadu the least water in 100 years (by end of July).
*Reservoir inflows in the state are improving—a reassuring sign.
*Good cooperation from central ministers and MPs.
*We are committed to the state’s welfare;strikes will not solve the problem.
*Meeting planned with Tamil Nadu CM Vijay after situation improves.
“On the Cauvery water issue,we will make the next decision after getting advice from legal experts and consulting opposition leaders,”said Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.
Shivakumar spoke at a press briefing at Vidhana Soudha on Friday.
“The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) has ordered a daily release of 3,500 cusecs to Tamil Nadu.
Similar orders have been issued in difficult years before —in 2016,2017,2018 and 2023.
Over the last three years we have had good rainfall.Last year we released water into the KRS reservoir early in June.
Last year the rains were good and we released more than 400 TMC instead of 177 TMC.
Large amounts of water have already flowed into the sea.”
“We filed a review petition before the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) against the order to release 3,500 cusecs to Biligundlu.
Opposition friends accused us of not sending officials.I do not need to reply to them,but I must inform the people.
Yesterday we submitted a review petition to the CWMA. We continued with the advisers who were with Basavaraj Bommai;they also attended the meeting.”
“We asked for a reduction in the release amount,a delay in the release decision,and time to examine the matter.
But Tamil Nadu argued they are receiving more water and asked for more to be released.Our officers argued before the CWMA to protect our state.
Our Advocate General and other legal officers presented our case.The authority said the inflows at our dams are low and the available water to release is limited.”
Reservoir inflows improving in the state—reassuring fact:
“All stakeholders—the Cauvery authority,Tamil Nadu,and the media—have access to reservoir inflow data.
Harangi reservoir is at 95%,Kabini 83%,KRS 36%,and Hemavathi 67% capacity.No one can hide these figures.
The order expects releases of about 4.5 TMC over 15 days at 3,500 cusecs per day.
The improvement in reservoir inflows across the state is a reassuring sign.
Our dams have seen a loss of inflow of about 25,000 cusecs,and 3,500 cusecs have been indicated for release.These figures are noted by both the committee and the authority.”
“It is the government’s duty to protect our farmers’ interests.We will protect our farmers.We have assured drinking water and protection for tanks by calling legislators.
Since the time of B.S.Bommai and during the Congress periods,we have always been committed to the state’s welfare. We remain committed today.”
Good cooperation from central ministers and MPs:
“Opposition leaders have given many suggestions through the media.Before filing the review petition we held an all-party meeting with central MPs and ministers.
MPs from all parties attended respectfully and discussed land and water issues of the state.Thirty-six MPs attended,including three central ministers.
I discussed our petition with Prahlad Joshi and other MPs.We sent our review petition to Joshi,Somanna and Shobha Karandlaje.They have pushed the matter and pressured central ministers.”
“Tamil Nadu argued it should receive 9.94 TMC,but the committee recommended roughly half that amount.In the last two to three days our inflows have improved.
We have called an all-party meeting on Sunday that will include former chief ministers and MPs from the Cauvery region.
Along with the legal team,I,Parameshwar and Ramalinga Reddy have discussed this with officials.
The all-party meeting will hear from officials and legal experts before we make a decision.BJP MPs and central ministers have cooperated with us.Some may oppose in public;I will not debate them now.I believe they will protect the state’s interests.”
This year Tamil Nadu received the least water in 100 years (by end of July):
“I will consult opposition leaders and ask for their suggestions for the state’s welfare.Let them attend the all-party meeting and give their inputs.Until the end of July,we released only 0.6 TMC to Tamil Nadu.
This is the smallest amount given to Tamil Nadu in the past 100 years.The water that did flow was mostly rain around Bangalore that drained away, not water released from our reservoirs.Yet protests continue.
I understand there is talk of a bandh call on August 13. We are on your side;there is no need for a bandh.A bandh will not solve anything.”
We are committed to the state’s welfare; strikes will not solve the problem:
“Courts have ruled that bandh and protests should not cause public hardship. On behalf of the government,I politely request people not to call a bandh.
We will not act against the state’s interest.Opposition leaders have governed this state.Many decisions were taken then.I will not debate past decisions made under leaders such as Nagegowda,J.H.Patel,or when Deve Gowda was Prime Minister.There is no need for that.”
“Tamil Nadu’s chief minister was scheduled to visit on August 3.Earlier I had asked to visit Tamil Nadu but the DMK government did not permit;elections then changed the government.Now CM Vijay has said he will come with his team.
Protests now do not give us confidence.We should resolve this with goodwill.If the problem is solved both sides benefit.
The situation is not good now,so I will request the Tamil Nadu CM to defer the meeting.When guests come from another state,we must show courtesy and respect.
I will ask to choose another date than August 3.If they want to protect their state’s interest,we want to protect ours.We are discussing whether this can be resolved amicably.”
“After I took office,under the leadership of central Jal Shakti Minister,C.R.Patil,I met with the CMs of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and reached a consensus.
The Andhra CM is a senior leader with experience. Because the Tungabhadra had silt,we agreed on balanced measures including a compensating reservoir to prevent Karnataka’s loss of 33 TMC.
This plan was agreed in principle as a national project with the Centre funding 90-10.I congratulate C.R.Patil for leading that effort.”
“Similarly,the Tamil Nadu CM is coming to Karnataka to discuss.Kannada associations,BJP supporters,and farmer groups have been protesting.I do not say their protests are wrong.
Our government has always protected the state’s interests and farmers.Many BJP leaders protested today and their central ministers and MPs have pressured the central government.
We called an all-party meeting.I will not make a final decision without discussing with everyone.Given this,I do not think BJP leaders needed to protest today.”
Mekedatu project would benefit Tamil Nadu more:
“The Mekedatu project will give more benefit to Tamil Nadu than to Karnataka.For Karnataka it will provide only about 400 MW of power and water for drinking.
The 66 TMC from Mekedatu will not be used for irrigation.In such difficult times, when orders come to release water, we will follow them.
The recent Supreme Court direction asked that Tamil Nadu receive 177 TMC;we will follow that order.The Supreme Court also said a balanced compensating reservoir can be allowed;central ministers have answered this in the Rajya Sabha.
Tamil Nadu’s assembly made political decisions — I will not comment on that.We will handle the matter within the legal framework.
Reports that the Mekedatu DPR was rejected are incorrect;the authorities have asked for clarifications, which we will provide soon.”
Question-and-answer summary:
When asked if water will be released to Tamil Nadu immediately,he replied:”Our review petition is pending. An all-party meeting has been called.We will decide after the meeting.”
When asked whether Tamil Nadu might go to the Supreme Court,he said:Why should we think about that now?”.
When asked if Karnataka will approach the Supreme Court,he said:We will not make any decision without the advice of Delhi legal experts and without consulting former CMs and opposition leaders at the all-party meeting.”
When asked whether the proposed visits of the two states’CMs were initiated by Karnataka or Tamil Nadu, he said:”Tamil Nadu’s chief minister’s office wrote to our chief secretaries asking the CM to visit Karnataka to discuss many issues.
We agreed and set August 3 originally, but now we are thinking of postponing since the atmosphere is not right. Farmers in both states are our people; we must solve problems together.”
When asked whether drinking water will be affected, he replied:There will be no problem for drinking water. Drinking water requires 40 TMC;36 TMC is needed for consumption and about 4 TMC may evaporate.Any extra water will be shared in emergencies according to allocation rules.”
When asked if the legal team made mistakes, he said: “Our legal team has performed excellently’’.
