Accepting the report of the expert team of the Central Water Commission, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Karnataka Government to release forthwith 2.44 tmcft of water to Tamil Nadu to save the standing crops on about one lakh acres in the Cauvery delta region.

A three-judge Bench of Justices R.M. Lodha, J. Chelameswar and Madan B. Lokur passed this order after accepting the report of the expert team which visited Thanjavur, Nagapattinam and Thiruvarur districts on February 5 to assess the water requirements to save the standing crops.

Lawyers’ statements come in handy for Opposition to corner the govt

Launching an attack against the State government for “suddenly changing its stand” with regard to the notification of the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT), the Opposition parties have demanded that the government should submit a detailed explanation on the matter. A day after the Supreme Court pronounced its verdict directing the Centre to notify the 2007 award of the CWDT, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah alleged in the Assembly that the BJP government had abruptly made a U-turn.

The Centre on Monday came in the line of fire of the Supreme Court for failing to notify the 2007 Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal (CWDT) award despite an assurance given to the court.

Censuring the government for "flouting" the statute by failing to publish the award for more than five years, a Bench, led by Justice R M Lodha, refused to grant it more time and set a deadline of February 20 for notifying the award and publishing it in the gazette.

Upset at delay, judge says: “Don’t abdicate your responsibility. Sorry, this is not the way the government should function”

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre to notify the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) dated February 5, 2007. It rapped the government for abdicating its responsibility in not notifying the award as per the mandate of the Inter State River Water Disputes Act. When Additional Solicitor General Harin P. Raval sought further time for the Centre to decide whether to notify the ‘final decision’ or not, a Bench of Justices R.M. Lodha, J. Chelameswar and Madan B. Lokur rejected the plea.

Supreme Court suggests Tamil Nadu take up the issue with Cauvery River Authority

With Karnataka sticking to its stand that it cannot spare any quantum of water for Tamil Nadu to the detriment of its drinking water requirements, the Supreme Court on Tuesday suggested to Tamil Nadu that it take up the matter with the Cauvery River Authority (CRA) headed by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The Supreme Court today directed Karnataka to furnish all the information on the quantum of Cauvery river water shared by it to Tamil Nadu since 1992 and said that out of box thinking is required o

The Supreme Court on Monday, while hearing a plea from Tamil Nadu for water release by Karnataka from the Cauvery river to save its wilting paddy crop, said drinking water requirement must get priority over irrigation needs of a state.

A bench of Justices R M Lodha and J Chelameswar observed that some out-of-box thinking was required to find a solution to the vexed issue of sharing Cauvery river water among the sparring states.

They dump tonnes of effluents into Cauvery, Bhavani rivers that feed lands of thousands of farmers

Erode and Namakkal have emerged safe havens for scores of dyeing units that had to shut shop in Tirupur after the Madras High Court ordered their closure for flouting pollution norms two years ago. In spite of the efforts of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), several illegal units continue to flourish in these districts and dump tonnes of effluents into the Cauvery and Bhavani rivers that feed agricultural lands of thousands of farmers.

If you are using a reverse osmosis (RO) water purifier and feel content that the water you drink is safe, there is news for you.

Reverse osmosis is the best available option for purifying borewell water with high levels of nitrate. “It is better to get the water tested before opting for reverse osmosis. If the water does not have nitrate content, a normal purifier will serve the purpose,” said M.V. Shashirekha, retired chief chemist from the Department of Mines and Geology.

Inadequate fund allocation is hampering the ambitious Noyyal river system revival or restoration project and the meagre allocation of Rs. 30 lakh per annum is just proving to be insufficient even for carrying out emergency repairs to the channels and tanks.

Noyyal that originates in Western Ghats near Poondi and runs through Coimbatore, Tirupur and Erode, to become a tributary for Cauvery, is the lifeline of these districts. It runs for 65 km in Coimbatore, 34 in Tirupur and 39 in Erode before joining river Cauvery in Kodumudi. The system was once catering to the irrigation needs of over 36,000 acres.