CAUVERY WATER MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY

Publish Date: February 22, 2023

CAUVERY WATER MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY

1.0 INTRODUCTION

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 6A of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, the Central Government notified the Cauvery Water Management Scheme on 1st June, 2018, inter-alia, constituting the ‘Cauvery Water Management Authority’ and the ‘Cauvery Water Regulation Committee’ to give effect to the decision of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal as modified by the Hon’ble Supreme Court Vide its Order, dated 16th February, 2018.

2.0 ESTABLISHMENT OF CAUVERY WATER MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY

Constitution of the Authority.-There shall be an Authority called as Cauvery Water Management Authority. The Authority shall be a body corporate having perpetual succession and a common seal and shall sue and be sued. The Authority shall consist of the following members, namely: –

(a) Chairman – To be appointed by the Central Government, who shall have tenure of five years or till sixty-five years of age, whichever is earlier, amongst the serving officers, namely: –

who is a senior and eminent engineer with wide experience in water resource management; handling of inter-State water sharing issues; construction, operation and maintenance of irrigation projects; or
An All India Service Officer, in the rank of Secretary or Additional Secretary to the Government of India with experience in water resources and inter-State water sharing issues;

(b) Two whole-time Members – To be appointed by the Central Government for a term of three years which may be extendable upto five years, as mentioned below:

One Member (Water Resources) – an engineer not below the rank of Chief Engineer from the Central Water Engineering Services (CWES) cadre;
One Member (Agriculture) – not below the rank of a Commissioner from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare;

(c) Two Part-Time Members – Representatives of the Central Government of the rank of Joint Secretary to be nominated by the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and
Ganga Rejuvenation and Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare respectively;

(d) Four Part-Time Members from party States – Administrative Secretaries in charge of Water Resource Departments of each State Government of Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Union territory of Puducherry who shall be nominated by the State Governments and Union territory administration respectively. Quorum and voting.

(1) Six Members shall form a quorum and the concurrence of the majority shall be necessary for transaction of the business of the Authority except such business as the Authority may from time to time prescribe as routine. The Members shall have equal powers.

(2) The next meeting will be held within three days if the meeting is postponed for want of quorum and for that meeting quorum will not be necessary.

3.0 THE DETAILS OF THE FUNCTIONS OF CWMA ARE GIVEN BELOW:-

The Authority shall exercise such powers and shall discharge duty to do any or all things necessary, sufficient and expedient for securing compliance and implementations of the Award of the Tribunal as modified by the Hon;ble Supreme Court vide order dated the 16th February, 2018 including:

(i) storage appointment, regulation and control of Cauvery waters:

(ii) Supervision of operation of reservoir and with regulation of water releases there from with the assistance of Regulation Committee:

(iii) Regulated releases 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.

The Authority shall perform inter alia, the following functions, namely:-

The Authority at the beginning of the water year, i.e. first June each year would determine the total residual storage in the specified reservoirs. As, it is not possible to know the amount of season-wise river flows which will be available during a season, it will be assumed that the inflows will be according to 50% dependable year (yield 740 TMC). The share of each State will be determined on the basis of the flows so assumed together with the available carry-over storage in the reservoirs. The withdrawals will be allowed during the first time interval of ten days of the season on the basis of the share worked out for each party State, limited to the water requirements during the same period indicated by each party State by placing an indent of water demand with Cauvery Water Regulation Committee.
The Authority will take stock of the actual yield in the basin at the end of the previous time interval as well as the utilization or releases and storage built up during the interval and assess the trend of inflows and authorize withdrawals to the States for the subsequent time interval accordingly. For giving effect to the aforesaid provision, the Authority may have to repeat this exercise for two or more time intervals.
The Authority shall ensure the implementation of the Award of the Tribunal as modified by the Hon’ble Supreme Court vide Order dated 16th February, 2018 including the carry-over storage during good year and the water releases for environmental purposes. The Authority, through the Regulation Committee and with the help of Central Water Commission, and other Central or State organizations as necessary will identify situations of distress in the river basin. Distress caused by diminution of water flows during the period will be shared by the party States after the distress conditions and their extent is determined by the Authority, keeping in view water shares allotted to parties.
The following important reservoirs in the river basin, namely, Banasurasagar in Kerala; Hemavathy, Harangi, Kabini and Krishnarajasagara in Karnataka; and Lower Bhavani, Amaravathy and Mettur in Tamil Nadu shall be operated in an integrated manner by the concerned State under the overall guidance of the Authority for each ten days period throughout the year to meet the seasonal water requirements of the party States for irrigation, hydro-power generation, domestic and industrial uses, etc. The remaining quantities of the surplus water shall be conserved as far as possible and spillage of water shall be reduced to the minimum.
The Authority shall maintain an account of cropping pattern, area cropped and area irrigated for each party State. The Authority shall also maintain an account of domestic and industrial water usage by each party State.
The Authority shall set up a well-designed communication network in the Cauvery basin for transmission of data and a computer based control room for data processing to determine the hydrological conditions including distress, if any. For this purpose, it may utilize the latest technology. For operational purposes, this work may be entrusted by the Authority to Central Water Commission or any other Central or State Government organization.
On the beginning of irrigation season which is 1st June of every year, all the party States through their representatives in the Authority shall submit an indent for the supplies required by them at each reservoir site (capacity 3 TMC and above) for the month of June broken in ten daily intervals. The Authority will examine reasonableness of the indents keeping in view the cropping pattern and extent of area to be irrigated and order releases keeping in view the overall ceiling prescribed by the Tribunal and modified by the Hon’ble Supreme Court vide Order dated 16th February, 2018 for the month after determining the available carry-over storage and taking into consideration the likely inflows during the month. The Regulation Committee shall release water on ten daily bases as ordered by the Authority.
In case of deficiency in the water availability during any month as reported by the Regulation Committee, the Authority will consider reduction in the indent of the parties in proportion to the quantities allocated to each State by the Tribunal as modified by the Hon’ble Supreme Court vide Order dated 16th February, 2018 for the designated crops.
The Regulation Committee shall keep a watch on the actual performance of the monsoon during each ten daily interval and report position to the Authority indicating therein the extent of variation from the normal. The Authority on receipt of such information will consider any change in the release ordered by them earlier. Similar exercise will continue as the monsoon progresses during the succeeding months till the end of the water year which is 31st May of every year.
The Authority shall ensure that the respective State Governments should construct proper hydraulic structures at all important anicut sites in the river basin with a provision of appropriate regulation mechanism. Besides, regular monitoring of the withdrawals at such diversion structures on the part of the State would be necessary.
The Authority may direct party States to furnish data in respect of carry-over storage in reservoirs, including inflows and outflows, rainfall data, the area irrigated and water utilized.
The Authority shall arrange collection of data for important rain gauge stations maintained by Indian Metrological Department or Central Water Commission or States in the Cauvery basin, as also inflow data measured at important nodal points on the Cauvery river system through the Cauvery Regulation Committee which will suitably compile the rainfall data for different monsoon seasons along with the inflows measured at different sites.
The Authority or any Member or any representative thereof shall have power to enter upon any land or property upon which any hydraulic structure or any work of gauging or measuring device has been or is being constructed, operated or maintained by any agency in the Cauvery basin.
The Authority shall have power to hold and dispose of property, enter into contracts, sue and be sued and do all such acts as may be necessary for the proper exercise and discharge of its jurisdiction, powers and functions.
The Authority may construct or make direction to construct additional gauging stations to the States concerned with the assistance of Central Government and Central Water Commission for implementing the decision of the Tribunal.
If the Authority finds that any Government of the party States, namely Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Union Territory of Puducherry do not co-operate in implementing the decision or direction of the Tribunal, it can seek the help of the Central Government for implementation of the Award of the Tribunal as modified by the Hon’ble Supreme Court vide Order of 16th February, 2018.
If any delay or shortfall is caused in release of water on account of default of any party State, the Authority shall take appropriate action to make good the deficiency by subsequently deducting indented releases of that party State.
The Authority shall advise the party States to take suitable measures to improve water use efficiency, by way of promoting micro-irrigation (drip and sprinkler), change in cropping pattern, improved agronomic practices, system deficiency correction, command area development, etc.
The Authority shall advise the party States to adopt efficient technologies for water conservation and preservation.
The Authority shall comply with the directions of the Central Government issued from time to time with respect to composition, establishment and administration of the Authority.
The Authority may delegate such of its power, as it thinks fit, to Cauvery Water Regulation Committee.

4.0 THE DETAILS OF THE FUNCTIONS OF CWRC ARE GIVEN BELOW:-

to collect daily water levels, inflows and storage position at each of the following reservoirs – Hemavathy, Harangi, Krishnarajasagara, Kabini, Mettur, Bhavanisagar, Amaravathy and Banasurasagar;
to ensure ten daily releases of water on monthly basis from the reservoirs as directed by the Authority;
to collect data of water released from the aforesaid reservoirs on twelve hourly basis;
the Authority’s representatives at each of the reservoirs shall monitor proper implementation of the regulation instruction issued by the Committee and in the event of any variation, the representative shall immediately inform the Member Secretary of the Committee for appropriate action;
to collect daily water flows passing through presently identified inter- State contact point Billigundulu gauge and discharge site and keep the Authority suitably informed;
to compile and reconcile monthly water account for each reservoir;
to collect and compile weekly information about important rain gauge stations of the India Meteorological Department in order to be able to broadly assess the position of monsoon and keep the Authority informed about the status of the monsoon;
the State representative, in-charge of the major projects will keep the Committee regularly informed about the occurrence of the rainfall in the commands and whether any change in the releases is required;
to prepare seasonal and annual report of the water account and submit the same to the Authority as indicated below:—
(a) South-West monsoon season (inclusive of fortnight of October) — 1st June to 15th October;
(b) North-East monsoon season — 16th October to 31st January;
(c) Hot weather season — 1st February to 31st May

5.0 Meetings

By 31.12.2023, 27 meetings of CWMA & 91 meetings of CWRC have been held since 1st June, 2018.

Further, during the current water year (1st June, 2023 to 31st May, 2024), till 31.12.2023, 8 meeting of CWMA and 12 meeting of CWRC have been held.

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