CWDT: Minister allays fears of sub-basin farmers

Chennai, Mar 28 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Public Works Minister Duraimurugan today told the Assembly that no hardship would be caused to farmers in the Amaravathi and Bhavani sub-basins in view of the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT).

Intervening in the debate on the budget for 2007-08, he said farmers, using the waters of Amaravathi and Bhavani, the tributaries of the Cauvery, faced no immediate problem as Kerala was not in a position to use the water allocated to them by the Tribunal.

He said the Tribunal had made it clear that Tamil Nadu could continue to use the water from the two rivers, till Kerala was in a position to use the water allotted to them by the Tribunal.

The CWDT had ordered that Tamil Nadu should part with three tmc ft water from Amaravathi and Kerala was already using one tmc ft.

He said eight tmc ft water had been received in the Amaravathi and even if the state gave three tmc ft water to Kerala, it would be left with five tmc ft water and the dam had capacity to store four tmc ft.

As far as the Bhavani was concerned, Tamil Nadu had agreed to part with four tmc ft water to Kerala, but the latter demanded that they be given six tmc ft water. 'The government, after consulting legal and technical experts, will approach the Tribunal to redress the shortcomings,' he said.

UNI