State must comply with SC order on Cauvery' JD(S) chief HD Deve Gowda

BENGALURU: As the state capital, Bengaluru, grappled with a drinking water crisis, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda on Tuesday said the state should continue to release water from the Cauvery River to neighbouring Tamil Nadu. The senior Janata Dal (Secular) leader said the Congress government in the state should ensure compliance with the Supreme Court order, mandating the release of 10TMC water to Tamil Nadu every day for four months, till May 1, even in the face of the ongoing crisis.

Addressing reporters in the state capital on Tuesday, the former PM said, "The Supreme Court directed that the state must release 10 TMC water (from the Cauvery) every day for four months, till May 1, to Tamil Nadu. Our party has no objection to us sharing water with a neighbouring state to ensure compliance with the apex court order. However, they (the government) are not even releasing the water that is available to them. The state must release all the water at its disposal and then see if the water crisis in Bengaluru is resolved or not."

"The onus is on the Congress government to do what it needs to in the best interests of the state and the people," he added.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his deputy DK Shivakumar and fellow cabinet ministers, along with officials and secretaries of respective departments, held a crucial meeting earlier on Tuesday to address the ongoing drinking water crisis in Bengaluru.

According to local reports, water sources in many villages across the state have dried up.

The problem has been further compounded by the depletion of groundwater and the drying up of more than 3000 borewells in the capital city.

Speaking to ANI on Tuesday, Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar said the government has taken a 'serious' note of the prevailing situation.

"We have taken a very serious view of the matter and looking at arriving at a resolution at the earliest. I attended a meeting with all the officials concerned and we are in the process of identifying points from where we could source water to alleviate the ongoing crisis. More than 3000 borewells in Bengaluru have dried up," he said.

Also, on Tuesday, the deputy CM warned all tanker operators that their vehicles would be impounded if they did not register themselves with government authorities by March 7, the deadline set for them.

As the state stares at a more severe summer this year than the last, according to Met officials, an estimated 7,082 villages and 1,193 wards, including those in Bengaluru Urban district, could face a drinking water crisis in the coming months, as per an assessment of the government on February 10. Further, the Revenue Department, in a report, identified the majority of villages in Tumakuru district (746) and wards in Uttara Kannada as being at risk of a water crisis in the coming months.

In Bengaluru Urban district, as many as 174 villages and 120 wards were shown to be vulnerable to a water crisis.