Bangalore, Mar 12 (UNI) Karnataka may have to wage 'War for Water' if the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal was implemented, an irrigation expert opined today.
''The Tribunal should review its verdict to avoid war for water and the Union Government should intervene immediately and undo the injustice done to the State...According to international law, the State which was enjoying the benefit in upstream should continue to do so and the lower riparian State should forego,'' Capt Raja Rao said.
Terming the verdict as a severe blow to Karnataka, he alleged that the Tribunal had sold out the vexed issue to Tamil Nadu by ordering the release of 192 TMC FT of water. However, there was scope for Karnataka to appeal against the verdict.
The former Karnataka Irrigation Department Principal Secretary was delivering a talk on 'Cauvery Anthima Thirpu: Karnataka Raithara Bhavishya' (Cauvery final award: Future of Karnataka farmers), organised by Kannada Geleyara Balaga here.
Alleging that the Tribunal had failed to assess properly the requirement and usage of water by Karnataka despite taking 16 years to pronounce its verdict, Capt Rao said ''the Tribunal assessors have totally failed. Why an actual study was not made by these officials.'' He warned that if the verdict was implemented, over 40,000 acres of land under sugarcane cultivation would become barren and the sugar mills would have no option, but to close down, leading to crores of rupees of loss and hardship to the farmers. Water would not be available even for paddy cultivation. Besides, Bangalore, fed by Cauvery waters, might face severe crisis, he added.
Capt Rao charged the Tribunal with totally neglecting the recommendation of the National Commission for Integrated Water, appointed by the then Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, that water supply should be taken into account up to 2025, by considering only up to 2011.
Stating that the verdict would hamper industrial and agricultural growth, he said several lift irrigation projects could not be implemented due to non-availability of water. ''As soon as the Tribunal issued its interim order in 1991, the Government was warned against taking up new lift irrigation projects and now the foundation stones would stand as tombstones,'' he added.
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''The Tribunal should review its verdict to avoid war for water and the Union Government should intervene immediately and undo the injustice done to the State...According to international law, the State which was enjoying the benefit in upstream should continue to do so and the lower riparian State should forego,'' Capt Raja Rao said.
Terming the verdict as a severe blow to Karnataka, he alleged that the Tribunal had sold out the vexed issue to Tamil Nadu by ordering the release of 192 TMC FT of water. However, there was scope for Karnataka to appeal against the verdict.
The former Karnataka Irrigation Department Principal Secretary was delivering a talk on 'Cauvery Anthima Thirpu: Karnataka Raithara Bhavishya' (Cauvery final award: Future of Karnataka farmers), organised by Kannada Geleyara Balaga here.
Alleging that the Tribunal had failed to assess properly the requirement and usage of water by Karnataka despite taking 16 years to pronounce its verdict, Capt Rao said ''the Tribunal assessors have totally failed. Why an actual study was not made by these officials.'' He warned that if the verdict was implemented, over 40,000 acres of land under sugarcane cultivation would become barren and the sugar mills would have no option, but to close down, leading to crores of rupees of loss and hardship to the farmers. Water would not be available even for paddy cultivation. Besides, Bangalore, fed by Cauvery waters, might face severe crisis, he added.
Capt Rao charged the Tribunal with totally neglecting the recommendation of the National Commission for Integrated Water, appointed by the then Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, that water supply should be taken into account up to 2025, by considering only up to 2011.
Stating that the verdict would hamper industrial and agricultural growth, he said several lift irrigation projects could not be implemented due to non-availability of water. ''As soon as the Tribunal issued its interim order in 1991, the Government was warned against taking up new lift irrigation projects and now the foundation stones would stand as tombstones,'' he added.
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