Gowda asks govt to form Cauvery management board

JD (S) supremo H D Deve Gowda today demanded the Centre to establish the Cauvery Water Management Board (CMB) if it ensures increased share of water to Karnataka.
On February 16, a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra had directed to form the CMB within six weeks in a verdict that marginally increased Karnatakas share of Cauvery water, thus reducing the allocation for Tamil Nadu and settling the protracted water dispute between the two southern states.
Gowda, former prime minster, called on Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari and discussed about the issue in detail.
"I have requested Gadkariji to set up CMB after taking into account issues related to lift irrigation, Makedatu project and trans-basin diversion of water among others," he told reporters after the meeting.

The JD(S) leader also informed the government that the CMB should be set up if it benefited Karnataka and ensured 30-35 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of water.
Meanwhile, sources in the Ministry of Water Resources said its secretary U P Singh would hold a meeting with chief secretaries of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Union Territory of Puducherry tomorrow to discuss ways to implement the Supreme Court verdict.

It will be a consultation meeting to discuss the details of the court order, they said.
As per the apex court's order, the share of Cauvery water for Karnataka was raised by 14.75 tmcft. The court had reduced Tamil Nadu's share while compensating the state by allowing extraction of 10 tmcft groundwater from the river basin, saying the issue of drinking water had to be placed on a "higher pedestal".

By virtue of the SC verdict, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Union Territory of Puducherry would be annually entitled to 404.25 tmcft, 284.75 tmcft, 30 tmcft and 7 tmcft of Cauvery water, respectively out of a total of 740 tmcft.
Besides this, 10 tmcft of water would be used for environment protection and 4 tmcft be kept for inevitable escapades into the sea.