Published By: Saurabh Verma
Last Updated: September 20, 2023, 22:45 IST
Image: Rain and water deficit have forced Karnataka to say it will not be able to release water from the Cauvery river to Tamil Nadu. (Image: AFP/File)
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced that the state government will appeal in the Supreme Court against the order by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to release 5,000 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu until September 28. Siddaramaiah cited the “drought-like situation” in Karnataka as the reason for this appeal. He also sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention in the matter. Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar plan to meet the Union Jal Shakti Minister to discuss this issue.
Meanwhile, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, a senior BJP leader, urged the Congress government in Karnataka not to politicize the matter. Joshi stated that Karnataka has already agreed to release 2,500 cusecs of water out of the required 5,000 cusecs to Tamil Nadu. The issue was discussed in a meeting with all Members of Parliament and Union Ministers from Karnataka, except Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Siddaramaiah highlighted the distress situation in Karnataka due to a shortage of rainfall. He mentioned that out of 230 taluks, 195 have been declared as drought-hit and more taluks will be declared drought-hit soon. He emphasized that there is no formula to determine the amount of water to be released to Tamil Nadu in times of distress. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar added that there is very little inflow of water in the state.
The CWMA has not provided a formula for the release of water in distress situations. Siddaramaiah explained that the Supreme Court had previously ordered Karnataka to release 177.25 TMC of Cauvery water in a normal year but did not specify the quantity for distress years. He noted that Karnataka has only released 39.6 TMC of water so far due to water scarcity.
Pralhad Joshi assured that he will arrange a meeting on behalf of Karnataka with the Union Jalshakti Minister to present the case. He also suggested that the Congress government in Karnataka hold negotiations with the DMK government in Tamil Nadu, as both parties are allies. Joshi emphasized that the negotiation between the two states should happen, and the matter should not be politicized.
It is important to note that this article has not been edited by the News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI.
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Saurabh Verma is a Senior Sub-editor at news18.com and covers general, national, and international day-to-day news. He closely follows politics and enjoys providing readers with insightful updates. You can read more about him [here](https://www.news18.com/byline/saurabh-verma-22693.html).
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