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Centre notifies Cauvery Water Management Authority
Why it is in news?
- The Union government issued a notification for the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).
- The authority will decide the sharing of the river water among the States of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry.
- MPs of both the AIADMK and the DMK had stalled the winter session of Parliament over the delay in the formation of the authority.
- They had accused the BJP government of delaying the formation of the authority for electoral gains in Karnataka.
Mandate of authority
- The authority’s mandate will be to monitor the storage, apportion shares, supervise operation of reservoirs and regulate water releases with the assistance of the Regulation Committee.
- It will regulate water release by Karnataka at the Biligundulu gauge and discharge station.
- The CWMA will determine the total residual storage in the specified reservoirs on June 1 every year.
- The share of each State will be determined on the basis of the flows together with the available carry-over storage in the reservoirs.
- The withdrawals will be allowed on the basis of the share worked out for each State.
- If the Authority finds that any Government of the party States, namely Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Union territory of Puducherry do not cooperate in implementing the decision or direction of the Tribunal, it can seek the help of the Central Government for implementation of the Award of the Tribunal as modified by Supreme Court vide Order of 16th February, 2018.
Five-year tenure
- The chairman of the authority will be appointed by the Central government for a tenure of five years.
- He has to be a senior and eminent engineer with wide experience in water resource management or an IAS office in the rank of secretary or additional secretary.