WATERSHED AWARD

Tamil Nadu is elated but the discontent in Karnataka over the Cauvery Tribunal order means that the last has not been heard in the long-drawn-out battle over sharing of the river’s water

By S S Jeevan and Stephen David

It’s a dispute that has fanned political embers in two southern states for over 50 years, testing the patience of the best of negotiators and making a mockery of attempts to arrive at a settlement by different parties. It has frustrated the efforts of successive chief ministers and widened the differences between the two states, leading to emotional outbursts and violent clashes. But as the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) gave its final verdict on February 5 after a wait of over 16 years, Tamil Nadu had reasons to feel relieved. “Justice has been done to the state,” said Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi.

Across the border in Karnataka, emotions ran high as politicians and the public cried foul. Cauvery, which originates in the Brahmagiri hill range in Karnataka and winds 780 km through three southern states before emptying into the Arabian Sea, is not only dear to farmers—it is also a big stepping-stone to wannabe politicos who find it easy to whip up passions on the politics of water.

The CWDT, comprising Chairman Justice N.P. Singh and members N.S. Rao and Sudhir Narain, in a unanimous award asked Karnataka to make available 419 tmcft to Tamil Nadu and 7 tmcft to Puducherry. This is better than what Tamil Nadu could have expected. In an interim award on June 25, 1991, the tribunal had directed Karnataka to release 205 tmcft each year to Tamil Nadu at Mettur, of which Tamil Nadu had to release 6 tmcft to Puducherry. Though the state had argued for 562 tmcft of water to meet irrigation, domestic and industrial requirements, most people seem satisfied with the verdict.

Experts believe that the final award eliminates the possibility of disputes over claims and counter-claims of quantity and quality of water. The CWDT has also fixed monthly release schedule and the award will come into effect within 90 days of its notification by the Centre. For Karunanidhi, the decision has come at the right time. Having been unable to achieve a breakthrough in the Mullaperiyar Dam with his Kerala counterpart, he has lost no time in taking the credit. “I have been discussing the issue with 11 Karnataka chief ministers since 1968. Only now a favourable decision has been arrived at,” he said. The Opposition in the state has, however, come out against the verdict. AIADMK chief J. Jayalalithaa said the state should move the Supreme Court to get more water.

In Karnataka, the tribunal’s order is not seen as the last word in the dispute. The last interim order by the tribunal in 1991 saw riots breaking out in south Karnataka after it was felt that the order weighed heavily in favour of Tamil Nadu. This time, 16,000 policemen were out in Bangalore alone. Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy called for an all party meeting to take a decision on going for appeal against the “black Monday” order even as the Akhila Karnataka Gadi Horata Samiti, an umbrella organisation of pro-Kannada groups, announced a Karnataka bandh on February 8. Samiti president Vatal Nagaraj called the order a death sentence for the state. “You will have no drinking water in Bangalore if we follow this order,” he said.

But more than looking at the Cauvery as a source of water for cities like Bangalore, some fringe Kannada groups like Kannada Rakshana Vedike and many self-styled native saviours are going around parts of the state showing off their strength by forcing the Government to shut down schools and colleges.

But both Kumaraswamy and Karunanidhi feel that only a political dialogue can find a solution to the order. “It is a very bitter award for the state,” says Kumaraswamy, who is planning to cash in on his pro-farmer image and go on a statewide tour to talk about the Centre’s alleged ill-treatment to his state.

Cauvery is an emotive issue in Karnataka. That is why the late Rajkumar, the king of Kannada cinema, came out in public to lead a rally over Cauvery in September 2002 on behalf of the Kannada film and TV industry. The “silent” rally, dubbed ‘Cauvery nammadu’ (Cauvery is ours) featuring Kannada stars like Shivrajumar, Upendra, Ravichandran, Ramesh, Srinath, Devraj, Sudeep, Jayamala, Umasri, Sriraksha and Pramila Joshi had also brought Bangalore to a halt.

The plus side to the February 5 order is that the CWDT has accepted Karnataka’s argument for a distress formula and said that when the yield is less, the allocated shares will be proportionately reduced among all the states. It also lifted the 11.2 lakh hectare ceiling imposed on Karnataka, which means that the state is now free to make judicious use of the excess water when the monsoon is good. It has also given the green signal for taking up hydro-electric projects in the common reach boundary provided the specified water releases are ensured. An independent regulatory authority to monitor the monthly releases is also a welcome move by Tamil Nadu, but Karnataka is hoping that it will not be there when it appeals in the Supreme Court against the tribunal’s order. While making political capital is one thing, the ground reality that can help the Kumaraswamy regime now is blessings by the rain gods. Good rains in the intermediate and lower catchment areas result in an abundance of water that could help keep Kumaraswamy out of trouble. Meanwhile, the finalé to the dispute is yet to flood in.

(India Today, February 19, 2007)