The Hindu Business Line : Cauvery delta farmers welcome verdict

Home Page - Water
Agri-Biz & Commodities - Cultivation
Government - Politics
Web Extras - Courts/Legal Issues
States - Tamil Nadu
Cauvery delta farmers welcome verdict

Our Bureau

Advertisement

Chennai Feb. 5 Farmers in the Cauvery delta in Tamil Nadu have welcomed the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal's final award.

They hope it will provide a permanent solution to the long-pending issue.

The final award, which allots 210 tmc ft (thousand million cu ft) water to Tamil Nadu, more or less protects the interim award, which gave the State 205 tmc ft, according to Mr V. Rajaram, Working President, Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association.

According to Mr Rajaram, it is up to the Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry Governments to implement the order.

The Cauvery delta region, where paddy is the principal crop, is dependent on the Cauvery for irrigation. The delta area consists of over 21 lakh hectares, about 11 per cent of Tamil Nadu's land area.

The area covers districts of Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Tiruchi, Perambalur, Cuddalore and Pudukottai. Pulses and oilseeds are also cultivated in the rice fallows.

Cropping pattern

The flow in the Cauvery dictates the cropping pattern.

The traditional cropping pattern consists of the short-term `kuruvai' (June-July) cultivated over 1.68 lakh hectares and the long season `Samba' (August-September) covering over 3 lakh hectares. Pulses such as black gram, green gram and oilseeds such as gingelly are grown in the rice fallows.

When there is a shortage of supply in the Cauvery, farmers often give up cultivation of the `kuruvai' crop.

The Tribunal was constituted in June 1990 on the orders of the Supreme Court to resolve the dispute over the sharing of the Cauvery water between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. In 1991, the Tribunal passed an interim order, which provided for Karnataka to supply 205 tmc ft water a year (June to May). The final arguments concluded in April 2006.

The order

According to an official press release, the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal in its final order today has said that Karnataka is to supply to Tamil Nadu 192 tmcft water as measured at Billigundlu, near Hogenekkal, on the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border. Of this, Tamil Nadu will have to supply 7 tmc ft to Puducherry.

Effectively, Tamil Nadu will receive 185 tmc ft water at Billigundlu from Karnataka. In addition, between this point and the Mettur Dam, there would be an additional supply of 25 tmc ft, which takes the total supply at Mettur to 210 tmc ft during the year.

Quantity of water

According to the press release, the total quantity of water available in the Cauvery river system was estimated by the Tribunal at 740 tmc ft. Of this total, Tamil Nadu's share is fixed at 419 tmc ft, Karnataka (270 tmc ft), Kerala (30 tmc ft) and Puducherry (7 tmc ft). The balance 14 tmc ft is earmarked for environment protection, including 4 tmc ft expected to be the wastage.

In its interim award issued in 1991, the Tribunal had said that Tamil Nadu is to receive 205 tmc ft at Mettur of which it has to supply to Puducherry 6 tmc ft.

More Stories on : Water | Cultivation | Politics | Courts/Legal Issues | Tamil Nadu

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page