Cauvery Water Management Authority Meeting

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Why in news?

The first meeting of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) took place recently.

What is CWMA?

• The CWMA has been formed by the Centre.
• This is to implement the water-sharing award of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal.
• The water sharing will be as modified by the Supreme Court earlier this year.
• The CWMA is expected to meet once every 10 days during the monsoon months.

What is the outcome of the recent meet?

• At its meeting, CWMA asked Karnataka to release 31.24 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) of water in July.
• The quantum is based on the monthly schedule drawn up by the Tribunal.
• It excludes the surplus realised on the Tamil Nadu side in June.
• Karnataka is planning to challenge in the SC, the Centre’s notification constituting CWMA.

Is Karnataka's claim valid?

• Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 makes clear the Centre’s duty to notify a scheme to implement a Tribunal's award.
• Parliament has the power to modify the scheme, or leave it as it stands.
• But Karnataka’s claim that the scheme requires parliamentary approval before it is implemented is questionable.
• Further, the Supreme Court also approved the draft scheme.
• This was only after finding it to be in consonance with the Award and the 1956 Act.
• It will be unfortunate if this dispute gets into another round of litigation.

What lies ahead for CWMA?

• CWMA needs the cooperation of the States to successfully perform its role.
• This involves gathering data on rainfall, inflows and outflows, cropping patterns and periodic withdrawals from reservoirs.
• Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry should thus approach the issue in a spirit of cooperation.
• The first meeting augurs well for a sustained phase of constructive cooperation among the States concerned.
• With favourable monsoon this year, CWMA may not face any major problem.
• As long as the inflows into Karnataka’s major reservoirs are substantial, it has had no problem releasing its surplus water.
• It is only in a distress year that the CWMA will face a significant challenge.
• Determining the extent of distress, and dividing the shortfall among the States can be challenging tasks.

Source: The Hindu