“Karnataka does not own Cauvery”: DMK leader TKS Elangovan

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], September 23 (ANI): Amid the Cauvery water sharing row with Karnataka, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader TKS Elangovan on Saturday said, Karnataka does not own Cauvery. 

The DMK spokesperson added that no state can claim a river as its own if it flows from its state.

“Karnataka is not the owner of Cauvery. No river which starts from a state, that state cannot claim the river to be its own. Rivers will have to flow, it has to support the lower riparian areas. That is the international understanding, he said while speaking to ANI. 

“If the river starts and stops within that state, they can take the water. But if it starts from that one area and flows through other states, the water has to be divided,” he added. 

Meanwhile Pro-Kannada outfits and farmer organisations in Karnataka’s Mandya observed a ‘Bandh’ on Saturday to protest against the order of Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) for asking Karnataka government to release 5000 cusecs of water to neighbouring Tamil Nadu for 15 days.

The strike was called by activists and farmers after the Supreme Court on Thursday refused to interfere with the order of the Cauvery Water Management Authority.

The state police have beefed up the security arrangements in the area to handle any inappropriate situation that may arise due to the strike.

Farmers across Karnataka have been protesting since the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) ordered the state to release 5000 cusecs of water to its neighbouring state Tamil Nadu, for 15 days, effective from September 13.

Earlier on Friday, amid the Cauvery water-sharing row with Tamil Nadu, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that the government will safeguard the interests of the farmers of the state.

Shivakumar also said that during the meeting held in the national capital on Friday, the Cabinet meeting decided to follow the court order regarding the Cauvery water distribution.

A bench of Justices BR Gavai, PS Narasimha and Prashant Kumar Mishra while refusing to interfere in the Cauvery water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu said both CWMA and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) are regularly meeting and monitoring the water requirements every 15 days.

The court declined to entertain an application filed by the Tamil Nadu government to increase its current share of Cauvery water from 5,000 to 7,200 cusecs per day.

Tamil Nadu has sought fresh directions for the release of Cauvery river water from Karnataka, claiming that the neighbouring State had changed its stand, and had released a reduced quantum of water as against what was agreed upon earlier.

The Karnataka government on September 20 filed an application before the top court seeking a direction to the CWMA to reconsider its September 18 decision to ensure a flow of 5,000 cusecs of river water to Tamil Nadu till September 29.

The Centre formed the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) on June 2, 1990, to adjudicate disputes between Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Puducherry with respect to the water-sharing capacities.