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| Cauvery river dispute will continue simmering if there is no credible mechanism to implement SC verdict | | | Agencies
So you think that Friday's Supreme Court verdict has put an end to the Cauvery water dispute once and for all? Think again. Firstly, take a look at the two salient features of the judgment:
1. The Supreme Court has given the Centre six weeks to put in place "mechanisms" — by way of a Cauvery Management Board (CMB), assisted by a Cauvery Regulation Committee (CRC) — to implement the verdict.
2. The apex court has reduced the water that Karnataka must release to Tamil Nadu by 14.75 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet). So, to that extent, Karnataka's overall water share has gone up from 270 tmcft to 284.75 tmcft.
The first point is the key to a long-term resolution of the dispute, as long as the agencies to be set up — when they are set up — implement the verdict in a credible manner acceptable to both parties. The second point is relatively less important, because the marginal hike in Karnataka's share and a reduction in Tamil Nadu's will make little difference when the monsoon fails and there isn't enough water in the river. Here is why:
The Cauvery dispute has been all about sharing the water when rainfall is deficit, not when it's surplus. That's the reason why the dispute flares up only during poor monsoons, when water becomes scarce. This is how the water has been allocated (in tmcft):
State Demand What tribunal awarded What SC awarded
Karnataka 465 270 (270 + 14.75) 284.75
Tamil Nadu 562 419 (419 – 14.75) 404.25
Kerala 99.8 30 30
Puducherry 9.3 7 7
It's not the allocations per se, but the water that the tribunal said Karnataka must release to Tamil Nadu every month that created the tension, whenever the monsoon failed and when there wasn't enough water to share. The tribunal's monthly schedule went like this (in tmcft):
Month Quantum Month Quantum
June 10 December 8
July 34 January 3
August 50 February 2.5
September 40 March 2.5
October 22 April 2.5
November 15 May 2.5
Total for the year: 192 tmcft
This quantum of 192 tmcft that Karnataka must let flow downstream is part of Tamil Nadu's overall share of 419 tmcft. The rest of Tamil Nadu's share comes from the water available in the river in its territory. |
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