Cauvery water draft likely today

The Union Ministry of Water Resources is likely to submit a draft scheme before the Supreme Court for the implementation of final Cauvery verdict without any further delay as directed by the SC.

The apex court has already summoned the Union Water Resources Department Secretary UP Singh to appear with a draft scheme. Sources indicated that Singh would comply with the orders of the Court in this regard.

The SC is expected to give its final stamp to the proposed scheme drawn as per law. It is also expected to listen to the views of the stakeholder states as Tamil Nadu has been demanding the scheme akin to Bhakra-Beas Management Board and Karnataka being opposed to it.

Earlier, the SC had asked Karnataka to release 4 tmc of water to Tamil Nadu. Karnataka, in its reply, informed the court that it had already released around 16 tmc in excess and will not be able to share more. Tamil Nadu had contended that Karnataka has enough water to release 4 tmc to cover the shortfall of 1.4 tmc for April and the allocation of 2.4 tmc for May this year by providing the existing reservoir levels in Karnataka dams.

A similar argument would be presented before the court and the state would demand the actual shortage for the entire water year to be released by Karnataka. During previous hearing on May 8, the SC has pulled up the Centre for sheer contempt on its part not to have finalised the water sharing scheme between Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry despite the February 16 order.

The Centre had apprised of the court that the draft scheme has already been prepared by the Water Resources Department and the final touches were being given.

It sought time till May 14 since the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet colleagues were too busy to approve the Cauvery Management Scheme as they were stuck in electioneering in neighbouring Karnataka which went to polls on Saturday. Ever since the contempt plea was filed by the state against the Union government for non-implementation of the SC verdict, the Centre has been citing the Karnataka polls as the reason for the delay.