Karnataka should share available water: Vasan

Taking into consideration the hardships faced by the Cauvery Delta farmers, the Karnataka government should come forward to share the available water, said Union Shipping Minister G K Vasan. Addressing a press conference here on Monday, the Union Shipping Minister said that the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s statement that water could not be made available to Tamil Nadu now since the storage was low in Karnataka’s reservoirs was worrisome. Vasan said water should usually be released by Karnataka in June for Kuruvai crops in the delta region. “I would insist and demand that Karnataka should share whatever water available during this difficult situation for Tamil Nadu farmers,” Vasan added. Since the interim supervisory committee cannot direct the Karnataka government to release water for Tamil Nadu, farmers here feel that the Centre should have constituted the Cauvery Management Committee and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee much earlier, G K Vasan added.