6 months ago
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The communicative truthful far: On November 18, the Karnataka authorities decided that it would taxable a “revised” Detailed Project Report (DPR) to the Centre connected the Mekedatu balancing reservoir crossed the inter-State stream Cauvery. Five days earlier, the Supreme Court termed arsenic “premature” the exertion of Tamil Nadu challenging the task projected by Karnataka. With this development, the decks person been cleared for the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and the Central Water Commission (CWC) to analyse the precocious riparian State’s proposal.
How has Tamil Nadu reacted?
While the Opposition successful Tamil Nadu has blamed the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam authorities for the apical Court’s ruling, the little riparian State’s Water Resources Minister Durai Murugan rebutted reports of the Court having permitted the operation of the dam and asserted that his authorities would defy Karnataka’s each effort to proceed with the project. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar called the Court’s bid “justice to the State.”
What are the main features of the project?
Karnataka is readying to physique a ₹9,000-crore balancing reservoir astatine Mekedatu, astir 100 km from Bengaluru, for impounding 67.16 1000 cardinal cubic ft (TMC) of water. It volition person a 400 MW hydro powerfulness constituent too. The task volition submerge astir 4,996 hectares of land, including astir 4,800 hectares of wood and wildlife land. It is expected to assistance Karnataka utilise an further 4.75 TMC of h2o allotted by the Supreme Court, successful its judgement successful February 2018 connected the Cauvery dispute, to conscionable the increasing drinking h2o needs of Bengaluru. Though the task was mooted arsenic aboriginal arsenic 1948, it acquired momentum lone successful caller years with the superior metropolis of the precocious riparian State experiencing terrible h2o shortages successful the summer.
Why is the task controversial?
The past of the quality implicit the sharing of the Cauvery has led to a superior spot shortage betwixt Tamil Nadu and Karanataka. The little riparian State’s grievance against the precocious riparian State acquires much strength arsenic the way grounds of the second successful releasing h2o during the archetypal 4 months of the h2o twelvemonth (June to May) is viewed arsenic being acold from satisfactory. This is wherefore Tamil Nadu is apprehensive that the project, erstwhile fructified, whitethorn pb to Karnataka storing h2o excessively and releasing it astatine its will. However, Mr. Shivakumar contends that the project, to beryllium carried retired wrong Karnataka and retired of the State’s ain resources, would assistance his State proviso h2o to Tamil Nadu arsenic per the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal’s last bid “even during mediocre rainfall years.”
How important is the project?
As per accusation furnished by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah successful March 2024 during Bengaluru’s acute h2o shortage, the metropolis requires 2,600 cardinal litres a time (MLD) portion the disposable quantum was 2,100 MLD, leaving a shortfall of 500 MLD. The Cauvery stream meets the request for 1,450 MLD with 650 MLD sourced from groundwater. The colonisation of Bengaluru, which is present 13 million, is expected to interaction the 20-million people successful six years; past the metropolis volition request 4,000 MLD. It is against this backdrop that Mr. Shivakumar justified the aboriginal implementation of the Mekedatu project. But, the apical Court awarded lone 4.75 TMC per twelvemonth to Bengaluru (equivalent to astir 370 MLD).
However, determination are different ways to tackle the h2o problem. T.V. Ramachandra, seasoned academician successful the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, has been saying that the metropolis gets yearly rainfall of 700-850 mm, which, successful turn, yields astir 15 TMC (around 1,160 MLD), isolated from the reuse of treated wastewater apt to supply astir 16 TMC annually (1,240 MLD).
How does the Centre presumption the issue?
In January 2019, Karnataka submitted the DPR to the CWC, which, successful turn, had forwarded it to the CWMA. When it had sought support from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change connected the presumption of notation to behaviour the Environmental Impact Assessment study, the Ministry’s Expert Appraisal Committee, successful July 2019, concluded that successful presumption of inter-State issues, an “amicable solution” is needed betwixt the 2 States. On February 1, 2024, the CWMA, aft a “detailed deliberation” decided to notation the task backmost to the CWC.
Now, the Authority and the CWC tin supply a level to the 2 States for a discussion, if possible, an understanding, connected the project.
