Cauvery Dispute: A Call for Strong Ground Rules

Cauvery, a perennial river, that originates from Karnataka and goes through Tamil Nadu, has recently been in the news owing to the long-haul dispute between the two states. Being a perennial river, it largely depends on the South-West Monsoon for its water and the dispute remains calm in a good monsoon season. The problem occurs only when the monsoon becomes weak.

Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) was formed to regulate the water and distribute the water based on certain formulas but these formulas seem to fail in dry monsoon seasons. During a good monsoon year, Karnataka releases an agreed share of water from its dams and Tamil Nadu receives its allocated portion but during this year, the monsoon has been shy and not much rainfall has poured owing to which both the states are having problems.

Karnataka states that as water in the river is low, it cannot abide by the CWMA regulations as it will cause a water crisis in big cities like Bengaluru and will also affect the crops. While Tamil Nadu states that its short-term crop is being largely affected due to lack of water and many Cauvery-dependent districts will face a drinking water crisis if the issue is not solved with urgency.

It's high time now that the CWMA and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) form a long-term solution to this problem which will act irrespective of the nature of the monsoon. Water is a sensitive topic and should be dealt with with utmost urgency.