Focus: GS-II Governance, Environment , Prelims
Why in news?
- The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), after being notified formally as a body under the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti in late April, will hold its first meeting through videoconferencing on June 10.
- The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) will have its meeting on June 9.
Comfortable Storage
- The two events will take place a few days before the opening (June 12) of the Mettur dam, regarded as the lifeline of the Cauvery delta in Tamil Nadu, for irrigation.
- It is because of the excess flow of the Cauvery water and relatively moderate rainfall during the northeast monsoon (October-December) in 2019 that the Mettur dam is now having a comfortable storage.
- After a gap of 12 years, the dam is getting opened on the customary date. It is after an interval of nine years; the opening is happening in June.
- This “Kudimaramathu” scheme is in progress as well.
Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA)
- CWMA has been created as per the Cauvery Management Scheme framed by Centre and approved by Supreme Court.
- The Cauvery Management Scheme deals with release of water from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.
- It will be implemented by Cauvery Management Authority (CMA).
- CMA will be sole body to implement CWDT award as modified by Supreme Court.
- The Central Government will have no say in implementing of the scheme except for issuing administrative advisories to it.
- The authority will comprise a chairman, a secretary and eight members.
- Out of the eight members, two will be full time, while two will be part time members from centre’s side. Rest four will be part time members from states.
- The main mandate of the CMA will be to secure implementation and compliance of the Supreme Court’s order in relation to “storage, apportionment, regulation and control of Cauvery waters”.
- CMA will also advise the states to take suitable measures to improve water use efficiency.
- It will do so by promoting use of micro-irrigation, change in cropping patterns, improved farm practices and development of command areas.
- The CMA will also prepare an annual report covering its activities during the preceding year.
Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC)
- The Central government constituted the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) as per the provisions in the Kaveri Management Scheme laid down by the Supreme Court.
- While the CWMA is an umbrella body, the CWRC will monitor water management on a day-to-day basis, including the water level and inflow and outflow of reservoirs in all the basin states.
Kudimaramathu
- Tamil Nadu State government has turned to traditional ‘Kudimaramathu’ or maintenance of waterbodies with participation of local farmers, aimed at “faster and more efficient” execution of works related to maintenance and repairs of irrigation tanks and channels.
- It is a scheme by Tamil Nadu government which aims to restore the water bodies of Tamil Nadu such as dams, lakes and reservoirs, with the help of local farmers.
- In Tamil, the word “Kudi” means people and “Maramathu” means repairing or construction. Kudimaramathu is a centuries-old system of collective repair of water bodies, which discontinued in the colonial era.
- Through this scheme the Tamil Nadu Government attempts to revive an ancient lake management system.
-Source: The Hindu
