K’taka can release Cauvery water: HDK
MADURAI: Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy on Friday said he had instructed officials to release 20,000 cusecs from Kabini dam while expressing hope that the state would be able to give Tamil Nadu its share of Cauvery water in June if the monsoon continues to deliver ample rainfall.
Kumaraswamy, who is on a visit to Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple in Tamil Nadu, said by “god’s grace”, reservoirs in Karnataka are receiving copious inflows over the past few days.
“I have instructed irrigation officials to release 20,000 cusecs from the Kabini dam. There is bright chance for good monsoon rains this year... If the monsoon continues like this, we can give Tamil Nadu’s share of 10 TMC (Thousand Million Cubic feet) in June as per the Cauvery water sharing authority’s order,” he said.
The water to be released from Kabini would benefit both sides and farmers in both states would be happy, he said.
Makkal Needhi Maiam founder and actor Kamal Haasan t hanked Kumaraswamy for the Karnataka gov- ernment’s decision to release water from the Kabini dam.
“Expressed my pleasure on the opening of Kabini. Ultimately, even after the Cauvery water management authority starts functioning, only the goodwill between the two states will open many more shut doors,” Kamal tweeted.
Kamal Haasan, who had called on Kumaraswamy earlier this month in Bengaluru,discussed the Cauvery issue and pitched for talks to resolve the issue, saying courts were never a solution to the problem of sharing of water of the interstate river.