21.2.13

Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal’s final award



The 121-year Cauvery dispute took a new course with the Centre notifying the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal’s final award.
The award comes into effect immediately. “This order shall come into operation on the date of publication of the tribunal’s decision in the official gazette,” the notification said. The tribunal had given the award on February 5, 2007, but its notification was kept pending because all riparian states had moved the SC .
Under the award, notified on Tuesday, Karnataka will have to release 192 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) in 10 monthly installments. These releases will be monitored by the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee for the next five years. Karnataka had released 205 tmcft under the interim award for the past six years.
The tribunal had given TN 419 tmcft, Karnataka 270 tmcft, Kerala 30 tmcft and Puducherry 7 tmcft. It had reserved 10 tmcft for environment protection and determined 4 tmcft for “inevitable escapages into the sea”. The Cauvery Management Board, which Karnataka has strongly opposed since it takes away the state’s supervisory powers, was one of the tribunal’s recommendations. It doesn’t form part of the gazette as it requires a separate notification.
That Cauvery Management Board has not been constituted is a major relief for Karnataka. The award stipulates that 20% of the quantum of water diverted from the Cauvery basin will be utilized for drinking purpose, and 2.5% for industrial use. Of the 270.11 tmcft allotted to Karnataka, 17.22 tmcft (including 8.7 tmcft to Bangalore) has been earmarked for urban areas.
The award has lifted the 11.2-lakh-acre irrigation embargo for Karnataka, and fixed a new ceiling of 18.85 lakh acres.

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