CAUVERY
WATER MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY – POLITY
News: The Cauvery Water Management
Authority should act
What's
in the news?
●
Recent submissions by Tamil Nadu and
Karnataka as well as the deposition of the Cauvery Water Management Authority
(CWMA) before the Supreme Court of India only reinforce the need for an early
formulation that is acceptable to all.
Cauvery
Water Management Authority’s (CWMA):
●
Central Government, in exercise of the
powers conferred by Section 4 of the
Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 had constituted the Cauvery
Water Disputes Tribunal in 1990 to adjudicate upon the water dispute regarding
the Inter-State River Cauvery and the river valley thereof among the States of
Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Union territory of Puducherry.
Composition
and Powers of CWMA:
●
It will comprise a chairman, a secretary and eight members.
○
Out of the eight members, two will be full
time, while two will be part time members from centre’s side.
○
Rest four will be part time members from states.
Power
and Functions:
●
The Tribunal investigated the matters
referred to it and forwarded to the Central Government a report under
sub-section (2) of section 5 of the Act in 2007.
●
The party states filed special leave
petitions in the Supreme Court against the said report.
●
The Supreme Court converted the said
special leave petitions into Civil Appeals.
●
The Supreme Court pronounced its judgment
and directed the Central Government to frame a scheme under section 6A of the
Act to implement the Tribunal Award as modified.
●
In exercise of the powers conferred by
section 6A of the said Act, the Central Government notified the Cauvery Water
Management Scheme in 2018, inter alia, constituting the ‘Cauvery Water
Management Authority’ and the ‘Cauvery Water Regulation Committee’.
Specific
Powers:
●
The Authority shall exercise such power
and shall discharge such duty to do any or all things necessary, sufficient and
expedient for securing compliance and
implementation of the Award of the Tribunal as modified by the Hon’ble
Supreme Court:
○
Storage, apportionment, regulation and
control of Cauvery waters.
○
Supervision
of operation of reservoirs and with regulation of water
releases therefrom with the assistance of Regulation Committee
○
Regulated release by Karnataka, at the
inter-State contact point presently identified as Billigundulu gauge and
discharge station, located on the common border of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Participation
of Central Government in CWMA:
●
The central government will provide help
in implementation of the modified award in case any of the states (Tamil Nadu,
Kerala, Karnataka) or UT (Puducherry) parties do not cooperate in implementing
the decision or direction of the tribunal.
●
Centre initially contributed Rs. 2 crores
for the functioning of the authority.