Latest revision as of 10:50, 12 March 2018

[edit] A 1908 article on the Cauvery

Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.

{Kaveri; the Xu^r/pos of the Greek geographer Ptolemy). — A great river of Southern India, famous alike for its traditional sanctity, its picturesque scenery, and its utility for irrigation. Rising on the Brahmagiri, a hill in Coorg, high up amid the Western Ghats (12° 25' N. and 75'^ 34' E.), it flows in a generally south-east direction across the plateau of Mysore, and finally pours itself into the Bay of Bengal in the Madras District of Tanjore. Total length, about 475 miles ; esti- mated area of drainage basin, 28,000 square miles. It is known to devout Hindus as Dakshina Ganga, or the ' Ganges of the South,' and the whole of its course is holy ground. According to the legend pre- served in the Agneya and Skanda Puranas, there was once born upon earth a girl named Vishnumaya or Lopamudra, the daughter of Brahma ; but her divine father permitted her to be regarded as the child of a mortal called Kavera-muni. In order to obtain beatitude for her adoptive father, she resolved to become a river whose water should purify from all sin. Hence it is that even the holy Ganga resorts underground, once in the year, to the source of the Cauvery, to purge herself from the pollution contracted from the crowd of sinners who have bathed in her waters. At Tala Kaveri, where the river rises, and at Bhagamandala, where it receives its first tributary, stand ancient temples frequented annually by crowds of pilgrims in the month of Tulamasa (October-November).

The course of the Cauvery in Coorg is tortuous ; its bed is rocky ; its banks are high and covered with luxuriant vegetation. In the dry season it is fordable almost anywhere, but during the rains it swells into a torrent 20 or 30 feet deep. In this portion of its course it is joined by many tributaries— the Kakk;ibe, Kadanur, Kumma-hole, Muttara- mudi, Chikka-hole, and Survarnavati, or Haringi. Near the frontier, at the station of Fraserpet, it is spanned by a magnificent stone bridge, 516 feet in length. Soon after entering Mysore State, the Cauvery passes through a narrow gorge, with a fall of 60 to 80 feet in the rapids of Chunchan-Katte. After this it widens to an average breadth of from 300 to 400 yards till it receives the Kabbani, from which point it swells to a much broader stream. Its bed continues rocky, so as to forbid all navigation, but its banks are bordered with a rich belt of ' wet ' cultiva- tion. In its course through Mysore the river is interrupted by no less than twelve anicuts (dams) for the purpose of irrigation. Including irrigation from the tributaries, the total length of channels on the Cauvery system in Mysore in 1904-5 was 968 miles, the area irrigated 112,000 acres, and the revenue obtained nearly 7 lakhs. The finest channel is 72 miles long, and two others each run to 41 miles. The construction of three of the principal dams is attributed to the Mysore king, Chikka Deva Raja (1672-1704).

In Mysore the river forms the two islands of Skringapatam and SiVASAMUDRAM, about 50 miles apart, which vie in sanctity with the island of Srlrangam lower down in Trichinopoly District. Both islands are approached from the north by interesting bridges of native construc- tion, composed of hewn-stone pillars founded on the rocky bed of the stream, and connected by stone girders. The one at Seringapatam, about 1,400 feet long, named the Wellesley Bridge, after the Governor- General, was erected between 1803 and 1804 by the famous Diwan Purnaiya. That at Sivasamudram, 1,580 feet long, and called, after a Governor of Madras, the Lushington Bridge, was erected between 1830 and 1832 by a private individual, who also bridged the other arm in the same way and was honoured with suitable rewards. The river is moreover bridged at Seringapatam for the Mysore State Railway, and at Yedatore. The first fresh in the river generally occurs about the middle of June. In August the flow of water begins to decrease, but the river is not generally fordable till the end of October.

Enclosing the island of Sivasamudram are the celebrated Falls ot the Cauvery, unrivalled for romantic beauty. The river, here running north-east, branches into two channels, each of which makes a descent of 320 feet in a succession of rapids and broken cascades. The western fall is known as the Gagana Chukki ('sky spray'), and the eastern as the Bhar Chukki (' heavy spray '). The former, which is itself split by a small island, dashes with deafening roar over vast boulders of rock in a cloud of foam, the column of vapour rising from it being visible at times for miles. The eastern fall is quieter, and in the rainy season pours over the hill-side in an unbroken sheet a quarter of a mile broad. At other times the principal stream falls down a deep recess in the form of a horseshoe, and then rushes through a narrow channel, again falling about 30 feet into a large basin at the foot of the precipice. This waterfall is said to resemble the Horseshoe Fall of Niagara. The parted streams unite again on the north-east of the island and hurry on through wild and narrow gorges, one point being called the Mekedatu or ' goat's leap.'

The Cauvery has now been harnessed at Sivasamudram, the western fall being utilized for generating electricity to drive the machinery at the KoLAR Gold Fields, 92 miles distant, and to supply electric lighting for the city and power for a mill at Bangalore, 59 miles away. The instal- lation, delivering 4,000 h.p. at the mines, has been in successful operation since the middle of 1902, and was increased by 2,500 h.p. in 1905. It was the first of its kind in India, and at the time of its inception one of the longest lines of electric transmission in the world.

The principal towns on the river in Mysore are Yedatore, Seringa- patam, and Talakad, the last named being an old capital, now almost buried under sand-dunes. Crocodiles are numerous ; but they have seldom been known to attack fishermen, and the natives in general stand in no dread of them. Shoals of large fish, which are held sacred, are fed daily by the Brahmans at Ramnathpur and Yedatore. The Mysore tributaries of the Cauvery are, on the north, the Hemavati, Lokapavani, Shimsha, and Arkavati ; on the south, the Lakshman- TiRTHA, Kabbani, and Suvarnavati or Honnu-hole.

The Cauvery enters the Presidency of Madras at the Falls of Sivasa- mudram, and forms the boundary between the Districts of Coimbatore and Salem for a considerable distance, until it strikes into Trichinopoly. In this part of its course, near Alambadi in Coimbatore, there is a remarkable rock in the middle of the stream which throws up a column of perpetual spray, though the water round it is to all appearances quite unbroken. It is called the ' smoking rock,' and the natives declare that the spray is due to the river pouring into an enormous chasm in its bed. Close under the historic Rock of Trichinopoly the Cauvery breaks at the island of Srirangam into two channels (crossed by masonry road bridges), which irrigate the delta of Tanjore, the garden of Southern India. The more northerly of these channels is called the Coleroon (KoUidam) ; that which continues the course of the river towards the east preserves the name of the Cauvery. On the seaward face of the delta are the open roadsteads of Tranquebar, Negapatam, and French Karikal. In Madras the chief tributaries of the Cauvery are the Bhavani, Noyil, and Amaravati. At Erode the river is crossed by the south-west line of the Madras Railway, by means of an iron girder- bridge, 1,536 feet long with 22 spans, on piers sunk into the solid rock.

The only navigation which exists on the Cauvery is carried on in coracles of basket-work, but the Coleroon is navigable for a few miles above its mouth by vessels of 4 tons burden.

Although the water of the Cauvery is utilized to a considerable extent for agriculture in Mysore, and also in Coimbatore and Trichinopoly Districts, it is in its delta that its value for irrigation becomes most conspicuous. At Srirangam, just above the point where it bifurcates to form the Coleroon, the flood discharge is estimated at 313,000 cubic feet per second. The problem of utilizing this storehouse of agri- cultural wealth was first grappled with about the eleventh century by one of the Chola kings, who constructed a massive dam of unhewn stone, 1, 080 feet long and from 40 to 60 feet broad, below the island of Srirangam, to keep the Cauvery separate from the Coleroon and drive it towards Tanjore District. This is still in existence and is known as the ' Grand Anicut.' It has been improved by British engineers and a road bridge has been built upon it. Below it the kings of the same dynasty cut several of the chief canals of the delta, some of which still bear their names, and the Cauvery irrigation is thus less entirely due to the British Government than that in the Godavari and Kistna deltas.

When the British first came into possession of Tanjore District, in 1801, it was found that the great volume of the water-supply was then passing down the Coleroon, which runs in a straighter course and at a lower level than the Cauvery, while the Cauvery proper was gradually silting up, and the irrigating channels that took off from it were becoming dry. The object of the engineering works that have been since constructed is to redress this unequal tendency, and to compel either channel to carry the maximum of water that can be put to good use. The first of these was the ' Upper Anicut ' across the head of the Coleroon at the upper end of Srirangam Island, constructed by Sir Arthur Cotton between 1836 and 1838. This is 2,250 feet long, broken by islands into three sections, and was designed to increase the supply in the Cauvery. It was followed in 1845 by a regulating dam, 1,950 feet long, across the Cauvery near the Grand Anicut, to prevent too much water flowing down this latter stream. Close to it a similar regulator was constructed in 1848 across the Vennar, one of the main branches of the Cauvery. From this point the Cauvery runs north- east and the Vennar south-east, both of them throwing off branch after branch, which in their turn split up into innumerable channels and form a vast network which irrigates the delta.

At the off-take of all the more considerable of these, head-works have been constructed to control and regulate the flow. The Cauvery itself eventually enters the sea by an extremely insignificant channel. From the Lower Anicut across that stream the Coleroon irrigates land in South Arcot as well as in Tanjore. In the three Districts of Tanjore, Trichinopoly, and South Arcot the two rivers water 1,107,000 acres, yielding a revenue of 41 lakhs. The capital cost of the works of improvement and extension in the delta has been 28 lakhs, and the net revenue from them is 8| lakhs, representing a return of nearly 31 per cent, on the outlay.

[edit] Cauvery river water dispute

[edit] The Cauvery, its course, the dispute, the SC order of 2018: a graphic

River Cauvery, its course, the dispute, and the Supreme Court order of 2018
From: February 17, 2018: The Times of India

See graphic:

River Cauvery, its course, the dispute, and the Supreme Court order of 2018

[edit] The issues; a timeline

The Times of India, September 12, 2016

1. The Cauvery river originates in Karnataka's Kodagu district, flows into Tamil Nadu and reaches the Bay of Bengal at Poompuhar. Parts of three Indian states - Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka - and the Union Territory of Pondicherry lie in the Cauvery basin.

2. The legal dispute over the waters of the Cauvery has its origins in agreements signed in 1892 and 1924 between the erstwhile princely state of Mysore and the Madras Presidency. Following a Supreme Court order, the Centre constituted the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) in 1990, to resolve the dispute. The tribunal gave Tamil Nadu 205 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) in an interim order in 1991.

3. In 2007, the tribunal declared its final award, in which it said Tamil Nadu should receive 419 tmcft of water, more than double the amount mentioned in the interim order. Karnataka wasn't pleased. The award required Karnataka to release 192 tmcft of water to Tamil Nadu in ten monthly instalments every year. The Centre made the notification of the award public only in 2013, after the Supreme Court ordered it do so.

4. Before the 2007 order, Tamil Nadu had asked for 562 tmcft - roughly three-fourths of the water available in the Cauvery basin - and Karnataka had asked for 465 tmcft - around two-thirds of the available water.

5. In August 2016, the Tamil Nadu government said that there was a deficit of 50.0052 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) of water released from Karnataka reservoirs, with respect to the minimum limit directed by the CDWT. The Karnataka government said it wouldn't be able to release any more Cauvery water, as low rainfall during the monsoon had left its reservoirs half-empty. Tamil Nadu then sought the apex court's intervention saying its farmers needed the water to begin cultivating samba crops.

6. On September 5, the Supreme Court ordered the Karnataka government to release 15,000 cusecs of water a day for 10 days, to Tamil Nadu. This led to widespread protests and bandhs in Karnataka. Farmers there said they didn't have enough water for their own farms. Properties in Tamil Nadu were also damaged.

7. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 9 and said that releasing 15,000 cusecs of Cauvery water would "completely deprive" Bengaluru of the river's basin of drinking water. He also said prolonged unrest would hurt the state's IT sector, and noted that even the state BJP had asked his government not to implement the Supreme Court's order.

8. The Karnataka government filed a plea to the Supreme Court, which the latter agreed to hear. The Karnataka government requested the apex court to suspend its order directing it to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, because the latter isn't having a water crisis. The "agony claimed by Tamil Nadu on the water crisis" doesn't exist, the Karnataka government told the court. The SC refused to suspend that order.

9. It did, though, reduce the amount of water Karnataka has to release to Tamil Nadu, to 12,000 cusecs a day from 15,000 cusecs a day, and directed it to release the water until September 20.

10. At the same time, the apex court expressed its displeasure at the Karnataka government for not implementing its order. "Citizen and the executive of this country have to accept and obey the order of the SC unless it is modified. If the court passes an order, either comply or come for modification. People cannot take law into their hand," Justice Dipak Misra said.

[edit] Karnataka vs. Tamil Nadu

Some facts about Cauvery river and major reservoirs in Karnataka; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, September 12, 2016

The waters of River Cauvery: The dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, 1892-2016; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, September 7, 2016

[edit] A brief history of the dispute/ 1892-January 2018

Here is the dispute explained in 10 points, February 5, 2018: The Times of India

1. The Cauvery basin

The Cauvery river originates in Karnataka's Kodagu district, flows into Tamil Nadu, reaches the Bay of Bengal at Poompuhar. Parts of three Indian states - Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka - and the Union Territory of Pondicherry lie in the Cauvery basin.

2. A dispute that pre-dates Independence

The legal dispute over the waters of the Cauvery has a long history, and has its origins in agreements signed in 1892 and 1924 between the erstwhile princely state of Mysore and the Madras Presidency. The Centre constituted the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) in 1990 to resolve the dispute following a Supreme Court order. The tribunal gave Tamil Nadu 205 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) in an interim order in 1991.

3. The 2007 CWDT award

In 2007, the tribunal declared its final award, in which it said Tamil Nadu should receive 419 tmcft of water, more than double of the interim order. Karnataka wasn't pleased. The award required Karnataka to release 192 tmcft of water to Tamil Nadu in ten monthly instalments every year. The Centre made the notification of the award public only in 2013, after the Supreme Court ordered it do so.

4. Both States unhappy

Before the 2007 order, Tamil Nadu had asked for 562 tmcft - roughly three-fourths of the water available in the Cauvery basin - and Karnataka had asked for 465 tmcft - around two-thirds of the available water.

5. August 2016: Tamil Nadu goes to the SC

The Tamil Nadu government sought the SC's intervention, saying that there was a deficit of 50.0052 tmcft of water released from Karnataka's reservoirs, with respect to the minimum limit prescribed by the CDWT. Tamil Nadu claimed the tribunal's award was erroneous as the allocation of water was based on cultivation of just one crop. It contended that two crops are cultivated in the state. The state said its farmers needed more water to begin cultivating samba - a kind of rice grown in the state. The Karnataka government responded by saying it wouldn't be able to release any more Cauvery water, as low rainfall during the monsoon had left its reservoirs half-empty.

6. September 2016: SC order sparks agitation in Karnataka

On September 5, the SC ordered Karnataka to release 15,000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu every day for 10 days. A day later, Karnataka's Mandya, Mysuru and Hassan districts witnessed intense and often violent protests. Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah said his government would have to release the water, but with "a heavy heart". He added the state would file a petition in the SC seeking modification of the order. On September 20, the SC reserved its verdict on the appeals filed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala against the 2007 award of the CWDT, after a marathon hearing

7. January 2018: SC says verdict soon

On January 9, 2018, the SC indicated it would deliver within a month its verdict on the decades-old Cauvery water dispute, saying enough confusion has been created on it for over two decades. The top court also said that no forum could touch the matter relating to the Cauvery basin, until it gave its verdict.

8. Bangalore Political Action Committee's plea

The court's remark came during the hearing of a plea filed in 2016 after the violence in Mandya, by a citizens' group, Bangalore Political Action Committee, led by philanthropist Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, seeking its intervention for supply of drinking water to residents of Bengaluru and surrounding districts. They told the court that citizens of Bengaluru need adequate drinking water and their right to life needed to be protected by the top court. The plea said, "the reservoir levels in the major reservoirs of the Cauvery basin in Karnataka, which have a huge shortfall of inflows, and thereby the drastic decrease in the storage capacities of the respective reservoirs." If further releases are made to Tamil Nadu, there would not be enough water available in these reservoirs for supply to the citizens of Bengaluru and other towns, the plea added.

9. January 2018: TN CM's appeal for water turned down

Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami's appeal to immediately release 7 tmcft of Cauvery water was turned down by Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah.

"After reserving the minimum needs of drinking water supply and perennial crops, Karnataka can release at least 15 tmcft of water that is crucial for the standing crops in the Cauvery delta," said Palaniswami in a letter to Karnataka, explaining why the state needed water. Karnataka said, "no".

"How can we release water when storage levels in our reservoirs in the Cauvery river basin are low? There is no question of releasing water now," chief minister Siddaramaiah told reporters in New Delhi. He also referred to the impending SC verdict on the Cauvery water sharing row and stated that the state government will prefer to wait for the verdict.

10. February 2018: Mandya farmers urged to keep peace

Mandya district police recently launched a "mass contact programme" with farmers and Kannada groups, urging them not to take the law in their hands over the Cauvery dispute. Police held talks with farmers and sought the help of their leaders to ensure law and order is maintained.

"There is an acute drinking water problem in the city of Bengaluru and certain other districts of South Karnataka. The annual requirement of Bengaluru city alone is more than 19 TMC of water to be supplied to the citizens by the authorities of the State of Karnataka. The annual drinking water requirements of the Cauvery basin districts including the Bengaluru is roughly about 26 TMC (approximately)," it said.

[edit] Flashpoints in Karnataka, TN

Rohith BR, Kolaveri over farmers' use of Cauvery, The Times of India, September 11, 2017 

Human actions that harm the Cauvery; Rohith BR, Kolaveri over farmers' use of Cauvery, The Times of India, September 11, 2017

K'taka Asks Its Farmers To Switch To Drought-Resistant Crops, Tells TN To Use River Water Only For Drinking

A month ago, Karna taka chief minister Siddaramaiah said he would release Cauvery water from all four dams, but with a condition: The water was primarily for drinking. “Under no circumstances should it be used for agriculture,“ he said. Siddaramaiah followed it up with an appeal to farmers to stop growing paddy and sugarcane, and switch to semi-arid crops such as ragi and millet. “We've had the lowest rainfall in 46 years, and have water available only for drinking,“ he said.

Last month, Karnataka was staring at the possibility of drought--rain seemed to have failed, legal compulsions limited the amount of Cauvery water the state could use, dams In partnership with had hit dead storage, and farmers were enraged. Recently though, it has rained enough for water in Krishnarajasagar dam to cross 100 ft. Now, farmers want government to let them sow one paddy or sugarcane crop. But the state is hesitant to yield. “We are trying to promote crop diversity with millets, pulses, jowar and maize in the Cauvery basin for long-term water stability,“ says agriculture minister K B Gowda.

This is happening because the Cauvery has about 40% less water than it did 50 years ago.A 765-km-long river originating in Talakaveri in Kodagu district, deforestation, dams, hydroelectric and agricultural projects, and sewage discharge have reduced its size and altered its course over the years.

One of the main reasons for st cover its decline is loss of forest along its course, says professor ofes T V Ramachandra from IIS IISc's Centre for Ecological Sciences al Scie who is leading a study on n the basin. “Just 15% of its s 34,000sqkm catchment area in n Karnataka is forested againstgainst the required 33%,“ he says. ys He gives the example of Lakshmkshm anatirtha, a tributary , and says ays the study proved that feeder er streams with more vegetation on have water throughout the year. ea “Att places where forest cover has been en degraded for agriculture and plantations, streams dry up during non-monsoon months,“ he says.

The other reason is exploitation. When rain was plentiful, many dams and irrigation projects were built and areas that traditionally grew millet switched to paddy and sugarcane. Ramachandra says it is time to introduce curbs on sugarcane and paddy cultivation. “Only that need less water nly crops t must be allowed,“ he adds.mus Downstream, tributaries are all but dead under an onslaught of untreated sewage and industrial effluents. University of Mysore researchers found lead, cadmium and magnesium in the river bed this year. They categorised the river as `yellow', which means the water can turn toxic if corrective measures are not taken. If discharge of effluents and unvi able agricultural practices were not enough, coffee curing in Kodagu is adding to pollution.

The construction of three dams --Harangi on the Mysuru-Kodagu border, Hemavathi in Hassan and Chiklihole in Kodagu--has also submerged vast tracts of forest, affecting rainfall in catchment areas.“Habitat manipulation in the name of development, including expansion of agricultural practices, has reduced rainfall and inflow in the Cauvery,“ says P M Muthanna of Wildlife First.

A former forester says the shift from agriculture to tourism has also hit water levels.“Kodagu has 32% forest cover but the Cauvery catchment area is mainly private and revenue lands. In many places, revenue department is allowing conversion from agricultural to commercial use without control.This should be stopped to save the Cauvery ,“ he says.

WATER-SHARING OR WATER DIVIDING?

The Karnataka government along with Isha Foundation will plant 25 crore saplings on river banks across the state, chief minister Siddaramaiah announced at an event held in Bengaluru on Saturday as part of spiritual guru Sadhguru's Rally for Rivers. At a similar event in Mysuru on Friday, Sadhguru met farmers from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu caught in a four decade-long dispute over sharing of Cauvery waters.“I need water and you need water and therefore dividing water for use is not justice. But nourishing water resources is true justice for water,“ he said. On Sunday, the rally reached Chennai, where Sadhguru met TN chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami.

[edit] Judicial intervention

The Times of India, September 10, 2016

SC’s bridge over troubled Cauvery waters

The dispute over the Cauvery waters between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka began in 125 years in 1891. With both states still fighting tooth and nail at the Supreme Court over the river's water, an amicable end is a far cry.

[edit] Karnataka told to release 15,000 cusecs daily to TN

Tamil Nadu-Karnataka, Cauvery water dispute; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, September 10, 2016

The Indian Express, September 6, 2016

Karnataka told to release 15,000 cusecs daily to Tamil Nadu.

The Supreme Court directed the Karnataka government to release 15,000 cusecs of Cauvery water per day to Tamil Nadu for the next 10 days to make sure the samba crops in Tamil Nadu survive.

“Keeping in view the gesture shown by the Karnataka and the plight that has been projected with agony by Tamil Nadu, we think it appropriate to direct that 15 cusecs of water per day be released at Biligundulu by Karnataka for 10 days,” said a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Uday U Lalit. Karnataka had offered to release 10,000 cusecs every day while demanding 20,000 cusecs for itself. Considering that samba crops in Tamil Nadu required water immediately, the bench provided for an interim arrangement and said Karnataka would release 15,000 cusecs water every day for the next 10 days.

It also directed the Tamil Nadu government to approach the supervisory committee within three days for the release of Cauvery water as per the final order of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal. The supervisory committee has been asked to pass orders on Tamil Nadu’s plea in 10 days. The court posted the matter for further hearing on September 16.

On September 2, the Supreme Court had urged Karnataka to ‘live and let live’, after Tamil Nadu brought to the notice of the court that the Karnataka chief minister had said that not a drop of water would be released to the state. The court was hearing an application by Tamil Nadu to direct Karnataka to release 50.52 tmc feet of Cauvery water this season. In reply, Karnataka had said it has a deficit of about 80 tmc feet in its four reservoirs.

[edit] Karnataka to give 12,000 cusecs/day

The Times of India, Sep 12, 2016

Shailaja Neelakantan

Cauvery row: SC modifies amount of water Karnataka has to release to Tamil Nadu to 12,000 cusecs/day

Earlier, SC had ordered Karnataka to release 15,000 cusecs/day of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu

The Supreme Court ordered Karnataka to release to Tamil Nadu, 12,000 cusecs a day of Cauvery water instead of the earlier ordered 15,000 cusecs a day. The court's modified order directed Karnataka to release the water until September 20.

The apex court was hearing an application filed by Karnataka+ seeking a direction to reduce the quantum of water to be released from Cauvery River to Tamil Nadu to 1,000 cusecs from 15,000 cusecs.

After Tamil Nadu pleaded for water to save the samba crop in about 40,000 acres of agricultural fields in the Cauvery delta region, the apex court ordered Karnataka to release+ 15,000 cusecs of water daily for 10 days to the lower-riparian region on. The Karnataka government+ also asked to keep the SC's September 5 order in abeyance until the next hearing date. It justified this request saying that there has been a fault in the Cauvery Water Tribunal award, which does not deal with the issue of deficient water in the reservoir in a particular month. The Karnataka government also requested the apex court to suspend its order because the latter isn't having a water crisis, it said. The " agony claimed by Tamil Nadu+ on the water crisis" doesn't exist, the Karnataka government told the court. The SC refused to keep in abeyance or suspend that order. At the same time, the apex court expressed its displeasure at the Karnataka government for not implementing its order.

[edit] 2016: SC gives TN 6,000 cusecs of water daily

Dhananjay Mahapatra, SC brushes aside Karnataka plea Sep 21 2016 : The Times of India

Court Gives TN 6,000 Cusecs Of Water Daily

Brushing aside Karnataka's plea that release of any more Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu would plunge Bengaluru into a drinking water crisis, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the state to give 6,000 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu from September 21to 27.

Karnataka found itself in a piquant situation in the court of Justices Dipak Misra and U U Lalit. It had come to complain that the supervisory committee had no jurisdiction to direct Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs of water. Even Ta mil Nadu opposed the committee's determination and said not releasing enough water would spell doom for its paddy crop.

Appearing for Karnataka, senior advocate Fali S Nariman said, “I will request the court sincerely not to pass any interim order on this issue. Any interim order now will be a wrong order... Karnataka will not be able to comply with it by cutting into drinking water supply,“ he said.

When Nariman pointed out that Tamil Nadu had over 50 TMC water in Mettur reservoir, Tamil Nadu's lawyer Shekhar Naphade retorted that no water could be released from Mettur unless storage crossed the 50 TMC mark.

When a citizens' group from Bengaluru through Harish Salve attempted to intervene in the matter by flagging the drinking water crisis faced by residents of the state capital, Naphade said, “please don't add another speaker for Karnataka which is trying to bring street violence to the courtroom“.Salve reacted sharply and said, “It is better to intervene here than protest on the streets.“

The bench allowed both the states to file their objections to the supervisory committee's direction within three days and posted the matter for further hearing on September 27. The apex court also asked the Centre on Tuesday to set up Cauvery Management Board to manage distribution of water within four weeks.

Cauvery order unimplementable, says CM

Terming the Supreme Court's order directing Karnataka to release 6,000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu till September 27 as “unimplementable“, CM Siddaramaiah has called for a cabinet and an all-party meeting on Wednesday to chalk out the next step. Siddaramaiah appealed to public to maintain peace, while assuring that the government “is committed“ to protect the interest of the state and its people and farmers.

[edit] 2018: Cauvery: Citing Bangalore's needs, SC cuts TN share

February 16, 2018: The Times of India

February 17, 2018: The Times of India

Allocation of water of river Cauvery to Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, as in February 2018
From: February 17, 2018: The Times of India

Water apportion order by the Supreme Court for Cauvery river is valid till 2033
From: Dhananjay Mahapatra, February 17, 2018: The Times of India

HIGHLIGHTS

The Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra authored today's unanimous verdict of the three-judge bench

In February 2007, the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal ordered that Tamil Nadu should receive 419 tmcft of water

It also said Karnataka should release 192 tmcft of water to Tamil Nadu in 10 monthly installments every year

Putting to rest a 126-year-old emotive dispute over the sharing of Cauvery water, the Supreme Court increased Karnataka’s entitlement by 14.75 tmcft to 284.75 tmcft and reduced Tamil Nadu’s share to 404.25 tmcft while keeping allocations for Kerala and Puducherry unchanged.

Kerala will access 30 tmcft and Puducherry 7 tmcft and the award that now has the SC’s seal can be re-examined only after 15 years, in 2033.

This brings down the curtain on a volatile issue that has roiled Karnataka and Tamil Nadu politics for long while also giving successive governments at the Centre a headache.

Citing the requirement of drinking water for Bengaluru, the Supreme Court (SC) lowered the amount of Cauvery water due to Tamil Nadu, to 404.25 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet), from the 419 tmcft allotted by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) in February 2007.

Of course, Karnataka was overjoyed by the verdict, while political parties in Tamil Nadu expressed shock over the verdict.

The SC allotted Karnataka 270 tmcft Cauvery water, which is 14.75 tmcft more than the Tribunal award. The apex court said drinking water has to be kept on the highest pedestal. In addition to Bengaluru's need for more drinking water, the SC also took note of the fact that the city's industrial needs have also risen.

There's no change in the allotment for Puducherry (30 tmcft) and Kerala (7tmcft).

The SC permitted Tamil Nadu (TN) to draw additional 10 tmcft ground water from a total available 20 tmcft beneath Cauvery basin. This Tamil Nadu Cauvery water share would only reduce by 4.75 tmcft. So, the SC said, Karnataka will be releasing 177.25 tmcft Cauvery water to TN from the inter-state Biligundlu dam every year.

With these minor changes, the SC said, it is fully endorsing the method used by the Tribunal to give its final award in 2007. The Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra authored today's unanimous verdict of the three-judge bench.

Karnataka is happy with the verdict

After the verdict, visuals from the Karnataka Assembly showed lawmakers congratulating a smiling CM Siddaramaiah. Coincidentally, the state budget is also to be presented today.

A group called Rakshana Vedike, or Karnataka Protection Forum, celebrated after the SC verdict.

Tamil Nadu reaction muted, initially

A Navaneethakrishnan, lawyer for TN, said he respects the apex court's verdict, but added that the amount of water his state has been awarded isn't enough.

How the row unfolded

In February 2007, the CWDT ordered that Tamil Nadu should receive 419 tmcft of water, and Karnataka should release 192 tmcft of water to Tamil Nadu in 10 monthly instalments every year. Before the 2007 order, Tamil Nadu had asked for 562 tmcft - roughly three-fourths of the water available in the Cauvery basin - and Karnataka had asked for 465 tmcft - around two-thirds of the available water.

Today's verdict was on petitions filed by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, both of whom were unhappy with the Tribunal's 2007 final order. Karnataka was the first to challenge this award in the SC.

On September 20 last year, the bench of CJI Misra and Justices Amitava Roy and A M Khanwilkar reserved its verdict on the cross-petitions filed by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.

Prior to that, in August 2016, the Tamil Nadu government sought the SC's intervention, saying that there was a deficit of 50.0052 tmcft of water released from Karnataka's reservoirs, with respect to the minimum limit prescribed by the CDWT.

Following that, on September 6, 2016, the SC ordered Karnataka to release 15,000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu every day for the following 10 days. A day later, Karnataka's Mandya, Mysuru and Hassan districts witnessed intense and often violent protests, as the state's chief minister Siddaramaiah said his government would have to release the water, but with "a heavy heart". He added the state would file a petition in the SC seeking modification of the order.

[edit] Pollution

[edit] Dec 2017/ carries the highest levels of chemicals

Ram Sundaram, Cauvery carries 600% more chemical toxins than Ganga, December 23, 2017: The Times of India

HIGHLIGHTS

The Cauvery carries the highest levels of chemicals despite lowest discharge of water into the sea, says a study.

The high levels of chemicals in the river have contaminated groundwater in parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Several textile, dyeing, cement and chemical industries located along the river course discharge tonnes of harmful effluents.

The Cauvery, among the country's major rivers, carries the highest levels of chemicals despite lowest discharge of water into the sea, says a government-funded Anna University study. While the annual discharge is close to 8.3 cubic kilometres, the amount of total dissolved solids (TDS) is almost 753mg per litre, nearly five times what the Ganga carries, says the study's final report released on December 9.

The high levels of chemicals in the river have contaminated groundwater in parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, including at Mekadatu, Sriramasamuthiram, Kandiyur, Appakudathan, Pannavadi and Rudrapatna, making it unsuitable for irrigation and drinking. Several textile, dyeing, cement and chemical industries located along the river course discharge tonnes of harmful effluents.

"The presence of major ions such as sodium and chlorine was much higher in the Cauvery, particularly near industrial areas, coast and confluence of tributaries, compared to the other rivers studied," said L Elango, professor of geology who headed the study.

High levels of sodium can cause hypertension and reproductive toxicity in humans. Researchers attribute this to (human) activities such as discharge of industrial effuents, letting out of sewage and agricultural activities along the 800km course of the river, from Thalacauvery in Karnataka's Kodagu to Poompuhar in Tamil Nadu where it empties into the Bay of Bengal.

Ticket sellers at these counters are to enter the name and other details of applicants in the passes. A ticket examiner on the Tambaram-Mudichur route during a routine inspection found that many such passes were issued with no details printedon them. Growing suspicious, other MTC staff filed a complaint with the corporation headquarters at Pallavan House.

An internal inquiry revealed V Anandraj, ticketseller at Tambaram depot, recorded half the number of concession passessoldto public.

Though hesubmittedbillsclaiming that the other half remained unsold, the investigating team found out that Anandraj had sold it without entering names and defrauded the amount collectedthrough it, said V Thalapathi from Nethaji Transport Workers Association, who brought the scam to light through theRighttoInformation (RTI) Act.

"His higher-ups, who were also hand in glove with him, did not crosscheck any of his bills. Indeed they shared their credentials for accessing the internal server in which they should approve these claims," he told TOI. Disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against Anandraj and Shanthi.

Another set of documents show similar action has been taken against Mohana, a ticket seller at Vallalar Nagar (Mint). "This makes is evident that nearly 40% of MTC revenue through sale of such concession fares were swindled by ticket sellers and their immediate bosses," said another MTC staff.

[edit] Cauvery water entering Tamil Nadu from Karnataka polluted: CPCB to Supreme Court

March 11, 2018: The Times of India

HIGHLIGHTS

Karnataka is polluting the river before it enters Tamil Nadu, says a report filed by the CPCB in the Supreme Court.

The river caters to the drinking water needs of 1.7 crore people in Tamil Nadu.

For long, Tamil Nadu has been waging a war with Karnataka to secure its due share of Cauvery water. Now the fight, if the state goes by the report of the Central Pollution Control Board, may not just be about the quantity of water. It would also be about quality. Karnataka is polluting the river before it enters Tamil Nadu, says a report filed by the board in the Supreme Court.

The board said the Thenpennaiyar and Arkavathi, both tributaries of the Cauvery, were being polluted before they flow into Tamil Nadu. The report was submitted in the apex court in connection with a case filed by Tamil Nadu in 2015 to restrain Karnataka from letting untreated sewage and industrial effluents into the river.

The river is the lifeline for people in western, central, northern and southern parts of the state.

About 1,200 million litres of sub-surface Cauvery water from wells along the banks of the river are tapped by the state government every day to provide drinking water to about 20% of the state’s population in 19 districts. In all, 127 combined drinking water supply schemes in the state are fed by the river.

The water samples from the three rivers were tested jointly by the CPCB and the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu pollution control boards between September and December last year. The samples were lifted from Ajjibore (river Cauvery), Chokkarasanapalli (river Thenpennaiar) and from the Arkavathi river near Sangama, before it joins the Cauvery river, for four months.

"River Thenpennaiyar is polluted and comprehensive plan of action is required for restoration of its water quality. The Arkavathi and Cauvery rivers were found to be polluted due to higher count of faecal coliform, attributed to open defecation and requires vigilance from the concerned organisations in the state to prevent further pollution," the CPCB report said.

The joint monitoring and analysis of samples revealed that river Arkavathi, before Sangama and river Cauvery at Ajjibore met the desired water quality criteria for the first three rounds in September, October and November with respect to presence of organic pollution measured as Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD). However, it exceeded limits in December. Total coliform and faecal coliform, an indicator of bacteriological pollution, exceeded the limits during September and October in the Arkavathi river. Same was the case in the Cauvery in October. In the case of Thenpennaiyar, the samples did not meet the criteria with respect to all parameters in all four rounds of monitoring. The sampling locations were identified after CPCB held elaborate discussions with the two states.

CPCB also pointed out that Karnataka raised objections to monitoring the Arkavathi river, even as Tamil Nadu maintained that the river was the source of pollution. The meeting decided that CPCB would collect the samples only from the river near Sangama for assessing the pollution load contributed by the river. "No state should let polluted water into another state. Tamil Nadu will submit its remarks to the apex court for stringent action during the next hearing, scheduled after two weeks," said a senior TN official. Arkavathi river joins Cauvery at Sangama, about 55kms from Bengaluru, and passes through Mekedatu, four kms away from Sangama, before entering Tamil Nadu near Hogenakkal. Tamil Nadu’s contention is that untreated sewage and industrial effluents are let into the river in and around Bengaluru.

Thenpennaiyar river originates at Nandidurg Hills in Karnataka and enters Chokkarasanapalli village in Tamil Nadu, 25 kms from Hosur, and passes through five northern districts — Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram and Cuddalore. Tamil Nadu argued that the river received untreated sewage and industrial effluents from Belandur Lake and Vardhur Lake in Karnataka. About one-third of Bengaluru city falls in the Cauvery basin, and twothirds of the area falls in the Thenpennaiyar basin. The rainfall runoff from Bengaluru in the Cauvery basin drains through Arkavathi river and joins Cauvery, while rainfall from the other two-thirds drains into a tributary of Thenpennaiyar and reaches Kelavarapalli reservoir in Hosur. "It is unfortunate that Karnataka has not taken efforts to ensure proper sewage treatment in and around Bengaluru," the official said.

[edit] See also

Ganga (Ganges), river

Rivers: India (issues)