Advise Karnataka to release water due for TN: Stalin tells PM Modi
Chief Minister M K Stalin has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to advise Karnataka to release water due for Tamil Nadu as per schedule and clear the shortfall of June and July months.
Chief Minister MK Stalin
CHENNAI: Chief Minister M K Stalin has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to advise Karnataka to release water due for Tamil Nadu as per schedule and clear the shortfall of June and July months.
In his letter to the PM, Stalin sought Modi’s immediate intervention to the grim scenario faced by the farmers of Cauvery delta in saving their Kuruvai paddy crop, and said that Karnataka has released only 11.6 TMC in the water year 2023-24, as against 40.4 TMC due at Billigundulu from 1st June to 31st July.
Pointing out that such a huge shortfall of 28.8 TMC has been thrust on Tamil Nadu, even while Karnataka has a gross storage of 91 TMC in its four major reservoirs, against their full storage capacity of 114.6 TMC, Stalin said that Tamil Nadu, particularly the Cauvery delta, receives very less rainfall during the Southwest monsoon and the cultivation of Kuruvai and sowing of Samba paddy crops are fully dependent on release of water from Mettur Reservoir, which in turn depends solely on the flows received from Karnataka.
Accusing Karnataka of not honoring the Supreme Court order in letter and spirit and not adhering to the directions of Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), the CM said the storage position in the Mettur Reservoir (26.6 TMC as on 2nd August) can support standing Kuruvai crop only for another 15 days, against the 45 days required for maturity and optimum yield, after provisioning for drinking water and other essential needs.
Referring to the representations made by Tamil Nadu with Union Jal Shakti minister on 5th, 19th July in this regard, the CM said that Karnataka has not relented and except for the runoff from the fully filled Kabini reservoir, no water has been released from its major reservoirs which are 80% full and continue to receive good inflows.
“I urge you to advise Karnataka to immediately release the water due to us as per the schedule and to clear the shortfall in June and July. I also request you to instruct the Ministry of Jal Shakthi to take appropriate action for ensuring the same” the CM said.
Reasoning that the Cauvery delta meets the paddy requirement of the State to a very large extent, the CM cited the band on export of non-basmati rice due to emerging concerns of rice shortage and said that it is all the more important that the current Kuruvai paddy crop in Cauvery delta and the livelihood of our farmers are saved by your urgent intervention.
