News : Karnataka Chief Minister said there will be no disputes with Tamil Nadu over sharing Cauvery water this year.
About Kaveri/Cauvery River
- It is also called the “Dakshin Bharat ki Ganga,” flows southeast through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
- Origin: The river originates at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri range of the Western Ghats, Kodagu (Coorg) district, Karnataka.
- Drains into: It descends the Eastern Ghats with many waterfalls and forms a fertile delta before entering the Bay of Bengal.
- It is the third largest river in southern India after Godavari and Krishna, and the largest in Tamil Nadu, where it is known as “Ponni.”
- The basin includes Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, and Puducherry, bounded by the Western and Eastern Ghats and northern ridges.
- Tributaries
- Left bank: Arkavathi, Hemavathi, Shimsa, Harangi.
- Right bank: Lakshmantirtha, Suvarnavati, Noyil, Bhavani, Kabini, Amaravathi.
- Soil type: The basin contains black, red, laterite, alluvial, forest, and mixed soils.
- Red soils occupy large areas, while alluvial soils predominate in the delta, which is the most fertile tract.
- Dams on Cauvery River
- Krishnarajasagar (Karnataka)
- Mettur Dam (Tamil Nadu)
- Kaveri Delta System (Tamil Nadu)
- Lower Bhavani Project (Tamil Nadu)
- Hemavati Project (Karnataka)
- Harangi Project (Karnataka)
- Kabini Project (Karnataka and Kerala)
Cauvery Water Dispute
- Stakeholders: The dispute involves Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry. Hence, all four are riparian stakeholders.
- Tribunal and final award (1990–2007)
- The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) was set up in 1990.
- After 17 years, it issued a final order in 2007 allocating water in a normal year total of 740 TMC as follows:
- Tamil Nadu: 404.25 TMC
- Karnataka: 284.75 TMC
- Kerala: 30 TMC
- Puducherry: 7 TMC
- Supreme Court and implementation (2018): In 2018, the Supreme Court declared the Cauvery a national asset and largely upheld the CWDT’s sharing arrangement.
- It directed the Union Government to notify a management scheme.
- Management framework (June 2018): The Centre notified the Cauvery Water Management Scheme, creating the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) to oversee and regulate implementation.
