Chennai, July 30 (IANS) Raising the pitch over the Cauvery water dispute, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) president Thol Thirumavalavan on Thursday called upon the Tamil Nadu government to immediately convene an all-party meeting, saying a united political response had become essential in the face of Karnataka’s continued refusal to release the state’s due share of Cauvery water.
In a strongly worded statement, the Lok Sabha MP accused the Karnataka government of defying the directions of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) and adopting an “anti-Tamil stance” on the inter-state river issue.
He warned that the continued denial of water posed a grave threat to agriculture in the Cauvery Delta and could seriously affect farmers’ livelihoods.
Highlighting the scale of the shortfall, Thirumavalavan referred to data presented by CWRC Chairman Vineet Gupta and said Tamil Nadu had received only about 3.6 thousand million cubic feet (TMC ft) of water at Biligundlu between June 1 and July 27, against its allocated share of 36.4 TMC ft under the 2018 Supreme Court judgment.
He said the state had received barely 10 per cent of the water it was entitled to during the period.
The VCK chief said the cumulative deficit had now widened to nearly 33 TMC ft, placing the state’s irrigation needs under severe strain. Although the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) has directed Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water daily for 15 days, he noted that farmer organisations in the neighbouring state were opposing even this limited release.
According to Thirumavalavan, the inadequate water availability has already resulted in the loss of the Kuruvai cultivation season in several parts of the Delta region.
He warned that uncertainty now looms over the Samba crop as well, raising concerns over the livelihoods of thousands of farmers and the state’s food production.
Stating that Tamil Nadu could no longer rely on Karnataka to voluntarily honour its legal obligations, the VCK leader stressed that the issue required a united political response cutting across party lines.
He called on the state government to immediately convene an all-party meeting to deliberate on the next course of action and evolve a common strategy to safeguard Tamil Nadu’s rights over Cauvery waters while protecting the interests of farmers in the Delta districts.
–IANS
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