Karnataka for re-fixing Cauvery water share

Karnataka Thursday decided to seek re-fixing of the Cauvery river water share between it and Tamil Nadu, particularly in the four months from June, on the basis of rainfall in the last five years.

As per the Cauvery water tribunal award, Karnataka now has to give Tamil Nadu 134 TMC feet (thousand million cubic) of water between June and September each year.

Acutal rainfall in the last five years shows that Karnataka cannot supply this quantum between June and September and hence would seek re-fixing Tamil Nadu's share at 97.82 TMC feet, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said in the assembly after an all-party meeting on Cauvery row.

He said the Cauvery tribunal award, given in 2007, provides for a review every five years of the monthly quantum of water that Karnataka has to give to Tamil Nadu.

"As five years have passed, we will seek a review," he said.

The all-party meeting was held ahead of the June 12 meeting in New Delhi of the Cauvery Supervisory Committee set up by the central government on the direction of the Supreme Court to oversee water sharing among Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.

The committee is headed by central water resources secretary and chief secretaries of the three state and the union territory are its members.

The Bangalore meet was attended by Siddaramaiah, several of his ministers, leader of the opposition in the assembly H.D. Kumarawamy of Janata Dal-Secular, leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the assembly Jagadish Shettar and Karnataka Janata Party leader B.S. Yeddyurappa.