Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on 4 August 2023 wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting his intervention in urging Karnataka to release the Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu as per the agreed schedule. The Chief Minister also asked for the immediate clearance of the water shortfall that occurred during June and July.
I seek the immediate attention of Hon'ble @PMOIndia to save the farmers of Cauvery delta. The Kuruvai paddy crop, vital for Tamil Nadu's rice production, is in jeopardy due to a massive shortfall of 28.8 TMC of Cauvery water.
The Cauvery delta, our rice bowl, relies on this… https://t.co/PbTUKAgQxe pic.twitter.com/WkSWuMUYOy
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) August 4, 2023
He accused the Karnataka government of not honouring the Supreme Court order in letter and spirit and not adhering to the directions of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).
He stated that during the water year of 2023-24, Karnataka failed to meet its obligations in releasing water to Tamil Nadu and that they released only 11.6 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of water, which was significantly lower than the agreed-upon amount of 40.4 tmcft at Biligundlu, the inter-state border, for the period between 1 June and 31 July 2023. (The water year commences in June.)
“Such a huge shortfall of 28.8tmcft has been thrust on Tamil Nadu, even while Karnataka has a gross storage of 91tmcft in its four major reservoirs, against their full storage capacity of 114.6tmcft,” Stalin wrote in his letter to Prime Minister Modi. Stalin highlighted the critical situation faced by the farmers in the Cauvery Delta region. He brought to the Prime Minister’s attention the challenges the farmers are encountering while attempting to save their kuruvai, which is a short-term paddy crop.
He stated in his letter that as of 2 August 2023, the Mettur reservoir, which is the lifeline of the Cauvery Delta, is experiencing a low water level. It currently holds only 26.6 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of water, which he stated was considerably below its total storage capacity of 93.6 tmcft. He added that considering the allocation for drinking water and other essential requirements, the available water in the Mettur reservoir can sustain the standing kuruvai crop for an additional 15 days. However, for the crop to reach maturity and achieve optimal yield, it would need water for another 45 days.
Due to the “precarious situation”, the Chief Minister mentioned that the state government had already raised the matter with Union jal shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on two occasions, July 5 and 19. During these interactions, they requested the minister to advise Karnataka to follow the schedule set by the Supreme Court and also instructed the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to oversee and ensure compliance with the schedule.
“However, Karnataka has not relented and except for the runoff from the fully filled Kabini reservoir, no water has been released from its major reservoirs, which are 80% full and continue to receive good inflows,” Stalin said.
It is indeed ironic that the Tamil Nadu government, led by Chief Minister MK Stalin from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party, which is in alliance with the Congress as part of the I.N.D.I. Alliance, opted to write directly to the Prime Minister instead of resolving the matter with the Karnataka Chief Minister directly.
National President of Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha & MP for Bengaluru South Lok Sabha Constituency, Tejasvi Surya tweeted that “I.N.D.I.A or India – both need PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji to solve its problems. This letter highlights the reality of a pseudo opposition alliance and its deluded ‘common’ agenda, which has fast degraded to writing complaints about its own alliance partners. A mutually warring group like I.N.D.I.A alliance can only distract the nation.”
I.N.D.I.A or India – both need PM Shri @narendramodi Ji to solve its problems. This letter highlights the reality of a pseudo opposition alliance and its deluded 'common' agenda, which has fast degraded to writing complaints about its own alliance partners.
A mutually warring… https://t.co/gK8H1HR8JW
— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) August 4, 2023
Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party President K Annamalai also shared similar thoughts. He tweeted, “This is the reality of I.N.D.I. Alliance. They come to our Hon PM Thiru Narendra Modi avl complaining about their alliance partners. The grim scenario faced by the farmers today has to do much with the Corrupt DMK government’s pledging of the interests of the people of TN for their political gains.”
This is the reality of I.N.D.I. Alliance. They come to our Hon PM Thiru @narendramodi avl complaining about their alliance partners.
The grim scenario faced by the farmers today has to do much with the Corrupt DMK government’s pledging of the interests of the people of TN for… https://t.co/PN1AUg4Qjo
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) August 4, 2023
(With inputs from Times of India)
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