'Cauvery award likely by year-end'

By Our Special Correspondent

METTUR, JULY 21. The Chairman of the Cauvery Technical Cell, Mr. A. Mohanakrishnan, has expressed the hope that the final award of the Cauvery Waters Dispute Tribunal will be made known by this year-end.

Mr. Mohanakrishnan, who visited Mettur on Saturday to ascertain inflow and outflow, told presspersons that the examination of witnesses would be completed by July 30, 2001.

Out of the 20 witnesses, 19 had been examined, ie., from Tamil Nadu - nine, Karnataka - six, Kerala - three (out of four), and Pondicherry - one.

To a question on the quantum of water obtained from Karnataka, Mr. Mohanakrishnan said that during the current season, that State should have released 39 tmc, but what was realised at Mettur till date was 26 tmc, thus leaving a gap of 13 tmc.

The surplussing Kabini water was being let into the system, and the Hemavathi and Krishnaraja Sagar reservoirs were three-fourths full. He was hopeful that with the good rainfall in the catchment areas, the irrigation needs of Tamil Nadu would be adequately met.

Kuruvai nursery was being raised in about 1.34 lakh acres, and to help the tailend areas, about 20,000 cusecs was being released from the Mettur Dam. Earlier, the chairman inspected the dam at the Governor's View Point.

He was accompanied by the PWD Secretary, Mr. Kutralingam, the Additional Secretary, Mr. Apoorva Varma, the PWD Chief Engineer (Tiruchi region), Mr. N. Ponnusamy, the PWD Superintendenting Engineer, Mr. Malairajan and the PWD Executive Engineer (Mettur), Mr. N. Subramanian.

Water level

The level at Mettur Dam stood at 96.490 ft, and the capacity at 38.549 tmc. The inflow was 3,047 cusecs and the outflow 20,233 cusecs.

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