Centre sides with K'taka on Cauvery, cites farm suicides to refuse water to TN

 

Supporting Karnataka’s position on Cauvery issue this year, the Union Law Minister D.V.Sadananda Gowda on Thursday said the current situation does not permit the state to release water to Tamil Nadu.

 

The Hindu reported that the Union Law Minister said in Mysuru that the State was severely affected by the failure of monsoon and is not in a position to share water at this stage.

 

Sadananda Gowda pointed to the spate of farmer suicides in the last few months to justify the decision. According to media reports, Karnataka had seen over 450 farmer suicides over the last few months. 

 

Gowda also said that the farmers are expected to agitate and take the extreme step if water was released to neighbouring state.

 

In response to reporters’ queries on Tamil Nadu’s demand for water, he said that the State was in distress due to failure of monsoon and is not in a position to release water at this stage.

 

The New Indian Express reported that Sadananda Gowda also accused Congress president Sonia Gandhi for opposing the Kalasa-Banduri project. He said that in an election campaign in Goa, Sonia Gandhi assured that Congress would not approve sharing of Mahadayi river water between Goa and Karnataka.

 

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had said here recently that the State was unable to meet Tamil Nadu’s water needs in the wake of failure of monsoon and plummeting water levels in its reservoirs.

 

The water level at the Krishnaraja Sagar Reservoir on Thursday was 15% less than its capacity. The level in Kabini reservoir is 2,276.41 ft as against the maximum of 2,284 ft. The water level at Hemavathi reservoir is dropping. On Thursday, it stood at 2,901.5 ft as against the maximum of 2,922 ft. At Harangi dam, the level stood at 2,851.44 ft as against the maximum of 2,859 ft.