NEW DELHI: Citing the requirement of drinking water for Bengaluru, the Supreme Court (SC) today lowered the amount of Cauvery water due to Tamil Nadu, to 404.25 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet), from the 419 tmcft allotted by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) in February 2007.
Of course, Karnataka was overjoyed by the verdict, while political parties in Tamil Nadu expressed shock over the verdict.
The SC allotted Karnataka 270 tmcft Cauvery water, which is 14.75 tmcft more than the Tribunal award. The apex court said drinking water has to be kept on the highest pedestal. In addition to Bengaluru’s need for more drinking water, the SC also took note of the fact that the city’s industrial needs have also risen./br>
There’s no change in the allotment for Puducherry (30 tmcft) and Kerala (7tmcft).