Both the Houses of Karnataka legislature on Friday have unanimously adopted a resolution to release Cauvery water from its basin reservoirs only to drinking water purposes to Bengaluru and other cities and towns. The resolution does not mention release of water to Tamil Nadu at all. It is seen that the tactically worded resolution in both the Houses has insulated Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his Government from facing the contempt.
The special session of both Houses of Karnataka legislature was held to take a call on the Supreme Court’s direction to the State to release 6,000 cusecs of Cauvery water per day to Tamil Nadu.
After a daylong debate in the special session of the Karnataka Assembly a resolution was moved by leader of the Opposition of the BJP, Jagadish Shettar which said “This house notes that in the year 2016-17 there has been an acute situation of distress. But the shortfall in the basin will be known only in the end of the season 2016-17.
This House further seriously notes that the storages in four reservoirs namely Krishna Raja Sagara, Hemavathy, Harangi and Kabini have reached alarmingly low levels with only 27.6 tmc of water. It is now resolved to direct that in this State of acute distress it is imperative that the Government ensures that no water from the present storages be drawn, save and except for meeting drinking water requirements of the villages and towns in the Cauvery basin and for the entire city of Bangalore,” former Chief Minister of Karnataka Jagadish Shettar said.
“The above resolution is passed after carefully considering the needs of the inhabitants of the State of Karnataka whose interests are likely to be jeopardised if water in the core reservoirs is any way reduced other than meeting the drinking water requirements of inhabitants in the Cauvery basin including the entire city of Bengaluru,” it added.
Speaker KB Koliwada has announced after a day long debate that the resolution was adopted unanimously in the Assembly.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah replying to the debate after opposition moved the resolution, said the Government had no intention to defy the orders of the Supreme Court, but because of severe distress people of Karnataka was facing, it was ‘impossible’ to release water for any other purpose other than drinking water.
Siddaramaiah said the legislature’s resolution should not be taken as a defiance of the SC. He said as per the 2012 national water policy the first priority was for drinking purpose and the water will be released to cities and towns in Karnataka. Siddaramaiah highlighted the plight of the farmers, and assured that his Government will stand by them despite the distress year and also assured drinking water supply to villages, towns and cities, including entire Bangalore city till next monsoon.
He said the Government had complied with the earlier two orders of the Supreme court to release water to Tamil Nadu since its September 5 verdict and later but it was now impossible as the water available in the four Cauvery reservoirs was barely enough only for drinking water purposes.
“We have already stopped water to sugarcane crop in Karnataka while asked farmers to cultivate dry crops for the season. At this stage Tamil Nadu want water to cultivate second paddy crop. We are not against farmers of any State as they are the same. But this is distress year in Karnataka and others better understand the situation ,” he explained. He said in view of the acute distress in the Karnataka reservoirs it was imperative that the Government ensured against release of water to other purposes except to meet drinking water to people under Cauvery basin in Karnataka.
The resolution comes in the wake of recent Supreme Court order that asked Karnataka to release 6,000 cusses of water to Tamil Nadu for 10 days from September 21 that was deferred by the State. The State Government expressed inability to fulfill the apex court verdict due to failed monsoon. It felt that any further release would gravely jeropardise the interest of the people of the State.
This is the 6th special session in the history of Karnataka legislature on Cauvery.
The Karnataka legislative council also passed an unanimous resolution to not release Cauvery water for any other purpose than for the basic requirements of Bengaluru city and the towns and villages which come under the Cauvery basin.
At the legislative council, after the resolution was moved by MlC S Ravi of the Congress, the Council passed the resolution saying: “The resolution is unanimously passed after carefully considering the needs of the inhabitants of the state of Karnataka whose interests are likely to be gravely jeopardized if water in the four reservoirs is in any way reduced, other than for meeting the drinking water requirements of inhabitants in the Cauvery basin including the entire city of Bangalore.”
Supporting the resolution, opposition leader of the BJP, K S Eshwarappa and JD(S) floor leader Basavaraj Horatti said the government's firm stand was welcomed and that both the parties cutting across political lines will stand behind the government in this period of crisis.
The resolution reads that the house was aghast with the dipping levels of water in the four Cauvery basin reservoirs and noted that the combined storage levels of Krishna Raja Sagara, Hemavathy, Harangi and Kabini have “reached alarmingly low levels with only 27.6 TMC of water”.
The resolution by the house directed the government that in this state of acute distress “it is imperative that the government ensures that no water from the present storages be drawn, save and except for meeting the drinking water requirements of the villages and towns in the Cauvery basin and for the entire city of Bruhat Bengaluru.”