‘Difficult to release water even under distress sharing formula’

With the State having received very low rainfall in the Cauvery basin this year, it is not in a position to share Cauvery waters with Tamil Nadu even under the distress sharing formula, Water Resources Minister M.B. Patil said.

Addressing presspersons here on Friday, the Minister said that although the State so far tried its best to release water under the distress sharing formula despite the deficient monsoon, it was increasingly turning difficult.

The distress sharing formula had been arrived at by the tribunal on how much water is to be shared during a year of deficient rainfall. But the situation was so bad this year that releasing even that quantum of water was impossible, he explained.

“This stand of the government can change if the State receives good rains in the future. A look at the storage levels of various reservoirs in the Cauvery basin is an indication of the poor rainfall,” Mr. Patil said.

Officials said the storage level in KRS is the lowest this year with the figure at 26.92 tmcft as against its capacity of 49.45 tmcft as on August 28. The storage level in the corresponding period last year was 47.15 tmcft.

The Kabini storage was at 15.73 tmcft against the capacity of 19.52 tmcft. It was 18.49 tmcft during the corresponding period last year.

The storage in Harangi reservoir is 6.93 tmcft as against the capacity of 8.5 tmcft, the corresponding period was 7.33 tmcft.

In Hemavati, the storage level is at 23.42 tmcft as against its capacity of 37.1 tmcft. In the corresponding period last year, the water level was at 36.74 tmcft.