Karnataka Govt Calls All Party Meeting on August 14 to Release Cauvery Water for Farming

Team Udayavani, Aug 5, 2017, 11:02 AM IST

Bengaluru: Karnataka state government has decided to call an all party meeting on August 14 to take an appropriate decision on the farmers demand to release Cauvery water for irrigation in Cauvery basin. The decision was taken in a meeting of ministers, government officers presided by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaih on Friday afternoon in the state capital.

Karnataka State Water Resources Minister MB Patil speaking in the meeting said, the government is planning to release water for farming in Cauvery basin following pressure from the farmers to release water through canals and the river in the wake of severe water shortage. There is a high probability for good rainfall in the basin in August, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) and based on the positives report from IMD, water is very likely to be released for irrigation, he added.

As of now, altogether only 43 TMC water stored at four reservoirs of Cauvery basin and water storage level is less when compared to last year’s 52 TMC. During normal monsoon season, water storage level reaches to 122 TMC at four water reservoirs of the basin, MB Patil said. Only 9 TMC water released from River Cauvery to Tamil Nadu even if the Apex Court order asked the state government to release a sum of 20 TMC water before the first week of August every year, the minister said.

Meanwhile, the government has decided to release single TMC water from Hemavati reservoir through high level canals to farmers for drinking purpose. The water will flow through the canals for 10 days and the farmers are not entitled to use the water for irrigation. The decision to release water was taken after a letter from HD Deve Gowda urging the Chief Minister to release water in the wake severe water shortage in the region.