CAUVERY WATER DISPUTE

• Karnataka, the upper riparian state, has stopped releasing Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu, disregarding a Supreme Court directive.
• Tamil Nadu has petitioned the apex court, accusing Karnataka of contempt of court. The interim order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (1991) and the final order in 2007 have ignored the issue of water sharing during a year of inadequate rainfall. 

 CAUVERY RIVER

• Cauvery originates in Coorg district of Karnataka and takes an easterly course, passing through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu before joining the Bay of Bengal.
• About 320 km of the river is in Karnataka and 416 km in Tamil Nadu.
• The remaining length of 64 km forms the common boundary between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. 

HISTORY:

• 19th century: Mysore wanted to build irrigation projects
• 1892: British government of Madras took up issue with Government of India; agreement between Madras and Mysore governments
• 1910: Mysore formulated proposal for a reservoir; sought consent of Madras
• 1914: Conflict referred for arbitration; award not acceptable to Madras
• 1924: Another agreement between Madras and Mysore
• Late 60s: Fresh dispute arose when Karnataka started work on irrigation projects on tributaries
• 1971: TN moved Supreme Court to direct Centre to set up tribunal to restrain Karnataka
• 1990: Supreme Court asked Centre to set up tribunal
• 1991: Interim order prescribes 205 TMC of waters to Tamil Nadu annually
• 2007: Final order allows for 192 TMC of waters for Tamil Nadu

 KARNATAKA’S CLAIM:

• By 1934, Madras had completed the Mettur Dam for storing 93.5 TMC of Cauvery waters, enabling cultivation of over 3,00,000 acres of new area. After the formation of Karnataka, covering the areas of Mysore and others, over 42 per cent of the drainage area of the Cauvery basin fell in Karnataka.
• Hilly regions of the Western Ghats receive heavy rainfall, but Mysore, Mandya, Hassan, Tumkur, Bangalore and Kolar are plagued by drought.
• Eastern basin in Tamil Nadu receives heavy north-east monsoon while the central part receives both south-west and north-east monsoon.

 TAMIL NADU’S STAND:

• Karnataka has constructed Kabini, Hemavathy, Harangi and Suvarnavathy reservoirs, besides other projects, for storing the Cauvery waters, much beyond the limit stipulated in the 1924 agreement.
• This has diminished the supply of waters to Tamil Nadu, adversely affecting the Ayacutdars (farmers) who have been dependent on the Cauvery for centuries.