'Will resign if Cauvery board is formed under TN's pressure', says Deve Gowda

HD Deve Gowda, Janata Dal (Secular) supremo and former prime minister, on Wednesday said that he would resign if the Cauvery River Water Management Board is formed under Tamil Nadu's pressure.

The JD(S) leader had earlier informed the government that the CMB should be set up if it benefited Karnataka and ensured 30-35 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of water. On February 16, a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra had directed to form the CMB within six weeks in a verdict that marginally increased Karnataka's share of Cauvery water, thus reducing the allocation for Tamil Nadu and settling the protracted water dispute between the two southern states. As per the apex court's order, the share of Cauvery water for Karnataka was raised by 14.75 tmcft.

The court had reduced Tamil Nadu's share while compensating the state by allowing extraction of 10 tmcft groundwater from the river basin, saying the issue of drinking water had to be placed on a "higher pedestal". By virtue of the SC verdict, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Union Territory of Puducherry would be annually entitled to 404.25 tmcft, 284.75 tmcft, 30 tmcft and 7 tmcft of Cauvery water, respectively out of a total of 740 tmcft. Besides this, 10 tmcft of water would be used for environmental protection and 4 tmcft be kept for inevitable escapades into the sea.