DK Shivakumar, the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, stated on Wednesday that Karnataka intends to lessen the volume of Cauvery river water supplied to Tamil Nadu by conveying the specific circumstances in his state to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a plea from the Tamil Nadu government requesting Karnataka to release 24,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs) of water daily from August 14th to the end of the month.
Shivakumar shared his plans, mentioning that he is traveling to Delhi to confer with the legal team and prepare for the upcoming hearing regarding Tamil Nadu’s demand for Cauvery water. He highlighted the efforts already made by his department officials to address the situation, having offered to provide 3,000 cusecs instead of the requested 24-25 thousand million cubic feet (TMC).
Shivakumar expressed his intention to engage with the court to explain Karnataka’s prevailing conditions and negotiate a reduction in the water allocation to Tamil Nadu. He underscored the importance of protecting the interests of Karnataka’s farmers.
In response to criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) about the government’s failure to safeguard the state’s interests, Shivakumar questioned the actions taken by the BJP during its own time in power, suggesting that those who are now making political remarks should reflect on their past actions.
Tamil Nadu has appealed to the Supreme Court to instruct Karnataka to fulfill the stipulated water releases for September 2023, which amount to 36.76 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) as per the Cauvery Tribunal award.
The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) recently directed Karnataka to release 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu over the next 15 days, up until September 12th. Karnataka’s decision to provide 3,000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu was motivated by lower-than-expected rainfall this year.
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