GS PAPER II- Governance : Karnataka ordered to release 9.19 tmcft

Context:

The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) has ordered Karnataka to release 9.19 tmcft of water for the month of June from the Biligundlu reservoir to the Mettur Dam in Tamil Nadu.

River Cauvery:

• River rises on Brahmagiri Hill of the Western Ghats in south-western Karnataka state. It flows in a south-easterly direction through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
• Before emptying into the Bay of Bengal the river breaks into a large number of distributaries forming a wide delta.
• Its main tributaries are the Kabani, Amaravati, Noyil, and Bhavani rivers.
• The river, upon Upon entering Tamil Nadu, continues through a series of twisted wild gorges until it reaches Hogenakal Falls. There the Mettur Dam has been constructed for irrigation and hydel power.

Background:

• The sharing of waters of River Cauvery has been the source of a serious conflict between the two states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The genesis of this conflict rests in two agreements in 1892 and 1924 between the Madras Presidency and Kingdom of Mysore.
• Central Government, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 4 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 had constituted the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal to adjudicate upon the water dispute regarding the Inter-State river Cauvery and the river valley thereof among the States of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Union territory of Puducherry.
• Subsequently, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 6A of the Inter-State River Water Dispute Act, the Central Government notified the Cauvery Water Management Scheme on 01st june, 2018.
• It further constituted the ‘Cauvery Water Management Authority’ and the ‘Cauvery Water Regulation Committee’ to give effect to the decision of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal as modified by Supreme Court through its Order, dated 16th February, 2018
• In the same order, the Supreme Court had recognised the principle of equitable distribution of inter-State rivers.

Details:

• Representatives from all riparian States attended the CWMA meeting.
• This is the third meeting of the CWMA since June 2018, when it was first constituted, and it is expected to meet once in 10 days from June to October. 

Courtesy 

byuju.com