The Centre on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that the meeting of the Cauvery River Authority (CRA) was likely to be convened shortly as requested by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister to discuss the distress-sharing formula.

In response to the Tamil Nadu’s application, the Centre, in its affidavit, said as per the Cauvery River Authority (Conduct of Business) Rules, 1998 the quorum of the meeting should be three members in addition to the Chairperson.

Though drip irrigation is ideal for banana and patronised in several parts of the country, it is unfortunate that farmers of the Cauvery delta have not realised its importance, M. M. Mustaffa, Director, National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB), said on Monday.

Talking to presspersons at the centre, near here, just ahead of the 19{+t}{+h}Foundation Day, he pointed out that an acre of banana normally required 900-1200 millimetre of water. “By opting for drip irrigation you can save as much as 30 per cent to 40 per cent and thus extend your area as well.”

‘Join hands to fight for Cauvery water’

Organic Scientist G. Nammalvar strongly felt that linking of rivers to fight water scarcity should begin within Tamil Nadu. He told this to newsmen here after addressing the gathering on “Conservation of Water Bodies”, that was organised by the ‘People’s Federation for Tapping Excess Cauvery Water in Ponds and Lakes’, on Sunday.

“Direct sowing is the way out in times of delayed water release and scarcity’’

As acres and acres of untilled land dot the tail-end of the Delta this year, there lays a tilled stretch of some 20 acres in Madapuram in Thiruthuraipoondi, bordering Nagapattinam, in the first and the only rains that lashed a few days ago. Seventy-six-year-old Oysul Karunai awaits the second spell to re-till his fields and broadcast the seeds through direct sowing.

Failure of the monsoons has wreaked havoc in the lives of farmers in the Cauvery delta

Pressing her demand for convening the Cauvery River Authority meeting, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Thursday asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to direct Karnataka to release water to the state to raise long term crop in the Cauvery delta areas.

Referring to her earlier letter dated May 18, she told the Prime Minister in a fresh communication on Thursday that her previous request for urgent need for convening a meeting of the CRA to decide certain specific issues was “yet to be acceded to.”

Pressing her demand for convening the Cauvery River Authority meeting, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Thursday asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to direct Karnataka to release water to the state to raise long term crop in the Cauvery delta areas.

Referring to her earlier letter dated May 18, she told the Prime Minister in a fresh communication today that her previous request for urgent need for convening a meeting of the CRA to decide certain specific issues was "yet to be acceded to."

While there is so much of brouhaha over sand quarrying, “there is quite a lot sand available untapped in the water spread area of Mettur Dam,” says N. Natarajan, former Superintending Engineer, Public Works Department, and author of two books on the Cauvery. This would enormously benefit the dam itself, he asserts.

“The difference between removing sand from the river and the water spread area is that the holding capacity of the river would be lost once sand is removed from the river. One cubic foot of sand can hold three cubic feet of water. But when sand and silt are removed from the water spread area, more water could be accommodated,,” he explains. Mettur Dam has a water spread area of about 153 sq km.

The Centre is yet to take a decision on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s request, made in April to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, for appointing a new Chairman to the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal after Justice N.P. Singh resigned his post on health grounds.

As a result, the Tribunal is unable to function to decide on Tamil Nadu’s applications seeking certain directions against Karnataka government. Within days of Justice Singh’s resignation, Ms. Jayalalithaa sought the Prime Minister’s intervention. She said that as per Section 5A of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, the Tribunal proceedings could continue only if a person was nominated as Chairman.

A gang on Wednesday allegedly threatened and abused a group of activists and farmers campaigning against chemical industries causing pollution in the Cauvery, in hamlets around Gonur village at Mettur.

The activists have been campaigning since August 13 to urge the residents of Gonur, where the chemical factories are located, to attend the gram sabha meeting on Independence Day to take up the pollution issue.