Will urge CMB to instruct Karnataka to release water: Duraimurugan

CHENNAI: State irrigation minister Duraimurugan on Tuesday reiterated that he would meet and urge the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) officials to instruct Karnataka to release the stipulated quantum of Cauvery water due to Tamil Nadu for the months of June and July.

Talking to media persons before leaving for Delhi to meet CMB officials in this regard, Duraimurugan said that there was shortfall of 6.357 tmcft (Thousand Million Cubic Feet) in supply of Cauvery water to TN for the month of June.

Pointing out that Karnataka must release 9.19tmcft to TN in June as per the Supreme Court order, but Karnataka has only released 2.833 tmcft for the period of June, Duraimurugan said, " We are going to raise our demand (to release water to TN). Be it surplus or deficit, the CMB must monitor and do it. CMB has must give instruction to Karnataka to release water. We will meet CMB officials. I am going to Delhi for that."

Duraimurugan leaves for Delhi a day after the Tamilnadu irrigation secretary wrote to the union government asking to ensure the release of water in accordance with the apex court order.

When reporters drew his attention to the DMK's ally Congress ruling there and the possibility of persuading the ally through the political channel to release water, the seasoned DMK minister said that similar situations prevailed when Jayalalithaa and MGR ruled Tamilnadu and their allies ruled Karnataka in the past. "They (political parties in Karnataka) will fight for their rights. We are raising our just demand legally, " he added.

Karnataka has been insisting that storage of reservoirs, mainly Kabini, Krishnarajasagar, Hemavathi and Harangi storing Cauvery water have depleted and they have enough water to only meet the drinking water needs of the state and they were unable to supply the due share to TN.

Asked about representatives of Karnataka government suggesting that they could talk to TN on the Mekadatu dam row, he said, "if Karnataka speaks, we will welcome. We will explain them why they should not construct the dam." The Tamilnadu irrigation minister has categorically stated in a statement Monday that the state would not allow Karnataka to construct Mekadatu dam whatsoever and the proposal outright violates the apex court order.