By dragging its feet over even letting out water that is apportioned, Karnataka has blown emotions into a confrontation among neighbours
What the notification of the final award of the Cauvery water disputes tribunal promises is a possible full stop to seemingly endless litigation surrounding the touchy issue of the sharing of the bounty of one of South India’s lifelines among Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.
Tamil Nadu, receiver of the lion’s share of the water, is elated at the notification, but probably at the expense of the people of Karnataka who have reason to feel wounded at the thought of a statutory sharing of water that can hurt in a distress year. There is never an issue in seasons of plenty, but when the monsoons fail all hell seems to break loose on both sides of the border dividing major states.
As an upper riparian state, Karnataka has to remain accountable at all times but it is not easy to live up to such an onerous position because of the extreme play of politics. By continuously dragging its feet over even letting out water that is apportioned, it has allowed emotions surrounding the issue to be blown into a confrontation among neighbours. The Centre did not help either by its own brand of procrastination that saw six years slip by since the final award was arrived at after scientific study of the agriculture and drinking water needs of the Cauvery river basin.
Further rounds of litigation can only exacerbate a problem that appears to have reached a tipping point now that the Centre was also inclined to follow the Supreme Court’s direction that the award be notified. The interminable legal process was further vitiated over the years by a state wishing to challenge the final award. This must stop if the nation is not to slip further into the morass of a complex web of inter-state disputes that tend to serve only the narrow end of politicians rather than the people of the country. Whipping up passions on the basis of language and culture is about the simplest task for self-serving politicians who tend to see only what advantage they can squeeze out of
disputes.
The notification makes for a clear-cut course of action by which an equitable sharing of water is possible. There is relief for Karnataka too in this as the ruling makes it clear that the measure of water distributed is at the inter-state point and not at the Mettur dam. It’s time then to live in peace while looking up to the skies to pray that the rains be more bountiful than they were last year when the Cauvery issue garnered more attention than it should have. But then try saying that to farmers whose livelihood depends entirely on water for irrigation. The setting up of the Cauvery Management Board should be the next step to take
tensions forever out of the river water.
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