Cauvery row: Karnataka Assembly passes resolution to block water to Tamil Nadu

A rare display of unity among the political rivals unfolded in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Friday when it passed a unanimous resolution during a special session directing the state government to release the water only for drinking purposes to Bengaluru and regions surrounding Cauvery basin.

The resolution puts Karnataka in confrontation with the Supreme Court verdict asking it to release 6,000 cusecs of water every day to Tamil Nadu till September, 27, which according to legal experts may signal a constitutional crisis in the state.

"It is now resolved to direct that in this state of acute distress it is imperative that the government ensures that no water from the present storages be drawn, save and except for meeting the drinking water requirements of the villages and towns surrounding Cauvery basin and for the entire city of Bruhat Bangalore," the resolution passed in the Assembly said.

The resolution was backed by the opposition parties such as BJP and JD(S).

Chief minister Siddaramaiah who has been trying to garner the support from different quarters said that the resolution should not be considered as defiance of the Supreme Court order. He said that Karnataka is giving the first priority to drinking water and that the farmers of the state have already been hit hard by consecutive drought years.

"Our farmers have made great sacrifices. We have asked them to sow crops which do not require much water for irrigation," the chief minister told the Assembly.

He said that there is just 27.6 TMC ft (thousand million cubic) of water in the four water reservoirs and that the state needs 24 TMC ft of water till May, 2017 for meeting the drinking water requirements.

Siddaramaiah while taking a subtle dig at the Tamil Nadu's demand of more water said that the neighbouring state has more water in its reservoirs and has sufficient ground water.

"They need water for crops whereas we need water for drinking," he added.

Although the State BJP and JD(S) have backed the Siddaramaiah government over Cauvery row, the Centre is yet to intervene in the issue even as the Karnataka CM met verdict met Union Water Resources Minister, Umar Bharti on Thursday.

A legal expert told the dna that the worst times are not yet over for Karnataka as upsetting the apex court may lead the SC asking either centre or Cauvery Water Management Board to take control of the Cauvery river reservoirs and monitor the flow of water to two states.

Even as the state BJP unit led by former chief minister B.S Yedyuruppa earlier chose to skip an all-party meet called by the chief minister, the BJP leaders together strongly stood their ground and told the Assembly that the water shouldn't be released to Tamil Nadu.

Senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister, E S Eshwarappa said that Karnataka has faced losses worth Rs 40,000 crore due to water release to Tamil Nadu. He added that the water is needed in the state for drinking unlike Tamil Nadu which requires water for crops.

The leader of opposition and former chief minister Jagadish Shettar, who earlier moved the resolution, told the Assembly that the state is in acute distress and that the combined capacity of four water reservoirs is less. He said the resolution should be unanimously passed in collective interests of the people of Karnataka.

Karnataka Assembly had previously held five Special sessions on Cauvery water dispute with Tamil Nadu. In 2002, the then chief minister SM Krishna while earlier refusing to comply with the SC order of releasing water to Tamil Nadu had to abide by the apex court ruling for potentially facing the charge of contempt of court.