Cauvery Water Management Authority’s (CWMA)

Subject: Polity/Geography

Context:

The Cauvery Water Management Authority’s (CWMA) meeting saw a sharp exchange of words between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over the Mekedatu dam project.

Concept:

• 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;
• 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 on 2007. The party States filed special leave petitions in the Supreme Court against the said report.
• Supreme Court converted the said special leave petitions into Civil Appeals. 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 on 2018, inter alia, constituting the ‘Cauvery Water Management Authority’ and the ‘Cauvery Water Regulation Committee’
• 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: (i) storage, apportionment, regulation and control of Cauvery waters; (ii) supervision of operation of reservoirs and with regulation of water releases therefrom with the assistance of Regulation Committee; (iii) 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.