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Karnataka's response to Centre's
directive on Saturday

The beleaguered Karnataka government has decided to respond to the Centre's directive on resuming supply of Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu after an all-party meeting, scheduled for Saturday morning in Delhi.

Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandre Gowda on Friday told rediff.com in Bangalore that no decision had been taken on the fax received from Union Water Resources Minister Arjun Charan Sethi regarding release of water to Tamil Nadu in conformity with the September 8 order of the Cauvery River Authority.

Farmers in Karnataka are against releasing water to Tamil Nadu citing poor reserves in the state's reservoirs.

"The all-party delegation will also seek an appointment with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to apprise him of the tense situation prevailing in the state owing to the farmers' agitation and the acute drought conditions across the state," Gowda said.

Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna, several cabinet ministers and opposition leaders are leaving for Delhi on Saturday for the proposed meeting.

Meanwhile, farmers in Karnataka said they were determined to continue their agitation till the Centre and the Supreme Court understands their problems.

"Now our fight is with the Centre. When we are reeling under severe drought, they ask us to release water from our dams. The water we have is just enough to meet our drinking needs. How can we release this water?" asked G Made Gowda, ex-MP and president of the Cauvery River Protection Committee, in Mandya.

Farmers' associations in Mysore organised meetings to mourn the death of Guruswamy, who jumped into the river protesting against the state government's decision to release Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu

They also expressed anguish over Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's statement that the incident was stage-managed.

There was some violence too at the venue when a Congress leader made some reference to some statement of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda. Assembled farmers assaulted the leader and later resorted to stone throwing to express their anger.

But the situation was soon brought under control with the farmers resolving to carry on their agitation peacefully.

Incidentally, a day after suspending release of Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu, Krishna inaugurated the first phase of the four-stage Cauvery Water Supply Project in Bangalore.

It involves pumping 270 million litres of water per day for the six-million citizens of the garden city from the Netkal reservoir, located near the Krishnaraj Sagar dam (near Mysore).

Situated about 3000 feet above mean sea level, Bangalore draws almost its entire supply of water, potable and for industrial purpose, from the tributaries of the Cauvery river, located in the plains about 100 km away.

Bangalore Water Supply & Sewerage Board (BWSSB) Chairman M N Vidhyashankar said the quantity of water being pumped and supplied to the city is just around 1 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) per month.

Reacting to doubts whether the Cauvery river and its tributaries have enough water to meet the ever-growing requirements of a burgeoning city like Bangalore, he said the quantity drawn is equivalent to a 'drop' for the river when in full flow.

Cauvery Water Dispute: The Complete Coverage

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