Cauvery Water Woes: Karnataka Says It Does Not Have Enough Water To Share With Tamil Nadu

As if the disagreements between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu weren’t trying enough, the state of the disputed river is adding to the woes of both states in question. With monsoons refusing to grace the region and dismal storage in the four reservoirs of the Cauvery basin, Karnataka said it will have no option but to refrain from releasing water to both its own farmers as well as for Tamil Nadu.

As reported by The New Indian Express, Karnataka Water Resources Minister M B Patil, while expressing the state’s inability to release as much water as prescribed by the Cauvery Tribunal, pinned his hopes on the monsoons to better the situation. “Right now, a small quantum of water is being released to Tamil Nadu depending on the inflows into the reservoirs. We hope the situation will improve with copious rains in the coming days to enable the state to increase the discharge to Tamil Nadu,” he said.

According to the Cauvery Tribunal, Karnataka is required to release 44 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of water to Tamil Nadu for the period ranging from 1 June to 31 July. But with the present storage in the Cauvery basin being at 26 tmcft, the state cannot afford to act on the tribunals directive, and has managed to so far release just 2.2 tmcft.

With the current cumulative inflow of water being around 9,500 cusecs, 30 per cent of which is being discharged to Tamil Nadu and to meet the drinking water needs of Bengaluru, no water will be available for agriculture in the state.

Farmers in the state will have to only wish and pray the monsoons arrive sooner than later and change the reservoir storage status, failing which they would have to watch lands get parched yet again this year.