Delta farmers have suggested to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin that Tamil Nadu insist upon the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) taking control of all reservoirs in the basin States to ensure the effective implementation of the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal and the Supreme Court’s verdict.
Mannargudi S. Ranganathan, general secretary of the Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association and the original petitioner in the long-fought Cauvery dispute, put forth the suggestion at his meeting with Mr. Stalin in Tiruvarur on Tuesday.
The CWMA had the same force and strength of the Supreme Court. “It has full powers to control, supervise and manage all the Cauvery basin reservoirs in all the States concerned. We can directly approach the CWMA for all our future requirements. Only if the CWMA fails, we need to approach the Supreme Court,” he said.
“Though the Tamil Nadu government is alive to the issue, we need to be cautious and see to it that the distribution of water from dams is completely managed by the CWMA. Tamil Nadu and other States should operate their dams only under the instruction and supervision of the CWMA,” he said. This was essential to ensure that water was released on dot as per the schedule stipulated in the Tribunal’s award.
Referring to the construction of a dam by Karnataka across Markandeya river, which confluences with the Thenpennai in Tamil Nadu, and its efforts to build another one across the Cauvery at Mekedatu, Mr. Ranganathan contended that no State had the powers to act as it pleased. “They cannot build a dam across the river without the permission of the CWMA, which is a constitutional authority,” he maintained. The Chief Minister, Mr. Ranganathan said, assured him that the government was fully committed to protecting the rights of Tamil Nadu on the Cauvery issue. “The Chief Minister told me that the Public Works Department was geared up to take up the issue in the right earnest, and the government would ensure that justice is rendered to Tamil Nadu,” he told The Hindu.
Expressing his gratitude to Mr. Stalin for his assurance, Mr. Ranganathan said, “I am happy that the Chief Minister and his government are taking much care on the issue. I am thankful to the Chief Minister for showing personal interest in the matter.”
Referring to the rapid depletion of storage in the Mettur dam, he said effective water distribution and manage- ment to prevent wastage was essential to see through the ‘kuruvai’ and ‘samba’/‘thaladi’ irrigation seasons.
