Cauvery issue : All-party meet to be held on August 14

Bengaluru: The state government has convened an all-party meeting on August 14 to decide on the release of Cauvery river water for agricultural requirements in the Mandya-Mysuru region.

A decision was taken at the review meeting held here on Friday by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take stock of water levels in the Cauvery river basin, where farmers have been demanding release of water into canals for irrigation.

"The Indian Meteorological Department's prediction about rain for the next week has been positive. We'll wait for a week to ascertain inflow into the four reservoirs in the Cauvery catchment area and take a decision on the release of water for agriculture," Minister for Water Resources M.B. Patil said.

Commenting on agitations by farmers in the Mandya-Mysuru region, Patil said: "The live storage capacity of the four reservoirs - Harangi, Hemavathi, Krishna Raja Sagar and Kabini - is 104.6 tmcft. But the reality is that storage levels in these reservoirs was only 43 per cent on Thursday. There is a 53% shortfall in water availability in the reservoirs. In this situation, releasing water for agriculture becomes difficult as the first priority is to ensure drinking water supply." The minister said 34 tmcft is required to meet the drinking water needs of cities and towns in the Cauvery river basin area.