A good beginning: on the Cauvery Water Management Authority
With the Cauvery Authority in place, it is time for the basin States to end all litigation
That the first meeting of the Cauvery Water Management Authority took place in a cordial(मैत्रीपूर्ण/सौहार्दपूर्ण )atmosphere(वातावरण) augurs(शुभ संकेत) well for a sustained(निरंतर/स्थिर किया हुआ) phase(पहलू/चरण) of constructive(रचनात्मक) cooperation among the States concerned(चिंतित). The CWMA has been formed by the Centre to implement(लागू/उपकरण) the water-sharing award of the Cauvery Water Dispute(विवाद) Tribunal(अधिकरण) as modified by the Supreme Court earlier this year. At its meeting on Monday, it asked Karnataka to release 31.24 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) of water in July. The quantum(हिस्सा/परिमाण) is based(आधारित) on the monthly schedule drawn up by the Tribunal, and excludes(शामिल नहीं/निकालना) the surplus(अतिरिक्त भाग/बचत) realised(एहसास हुआ/वसूल) on the Tamil Nadu side in June. For the Authority to successfully perform its role, it needs the cooperation of the States in gathering(इकट्ठा/जनसमूह) data on rainfall, inflows(अंतर्वाह/शाखा) and outflows(प्रवाह), cropping(फसल) patterns(उदाहरण/मिसाल) and periodic(आवधिक ) withdrawals from reservoirs(जलाशयों ). The CWMA is expected to meet once every 10 days during(दौरान/की अवधि में) the monsoon months. The south-west monsoon has been active for nearly a month, and is forecast(पूर्वानुमान) to be normal this year. Therefore, the CWMA may not face any major problem in overseeing(देखरेख) the release of water to Tamil Nadu. As long as the inflows into Karnataka’s major reservoirs are substantial, it has had no problem releasing its surplus water into the lower riparian(तटवर्ती/तटीय)areas of the basin(घाटी) . It is only in a distress(संकट/विपत्ति) year that the CWMA will face a significant(सार्थक/महत्वपूर्ण)challenge, as determining the extent of distress, and dividing the shortfall among the States on a pro rata basis can be tricky exercises.
Karnataka is planning to challenge in the Supreme Court the Centre’s notification constituting(का गठन/तैयार करना) the Authority. It will be unfortunate(दुर्भाग्य./खेदजनक) if this dispute gets into another round of litigation(मुकदमेबाजी). The provisions(प्रावधानों) of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, make it clear that it is the Centre’s duty to notify a scheme to implement the award of a Tribunal. Parliament has the power to modify the scheme, or leave it as it stands, but Karnataka’s claim that the scheme requires(की आवश्यकता है/चाहना) parliamentary approval before it is implemented isquestionable(संदिग्ध है/संदेहयुक्त). Further, the Supreme Court approved the draft scheme only after finding it to be “in consonance(तालमेल) with the dictum(तानाशाह ) and directions(दिशानिर्देश) in the Award as modified by this Court and also in conformity(अनुपालन/समनुरूपता)) with Section 6A of the 1956 Act”. Now that the CWMA has become functional, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry should approach(पहुंच/दृष्टिकोण) the issue of sharing the waters of the inter-State river in a spirit(भावना) of cooperation(सहयोग ) and help the Authority in implementing the verdict(निर्णय/विचार) . The parties concerned should leave behind the era of litigation. There is now a non-political mechanism(क्रियाविधि/युक्ति) available to make sound professional decisions on water availability(उपलब्धता) and sharing of distress, if any, after discussing the issues threadbare. After having been locked in a contentious(विवादास्पद) legal (कानूनी ) dispute for so long, all parties concerned must embark(शुरू करना) on a new era of mutually beneficial water-sharing.
Important Vocabulary
1.Cordial(मैत्रीपूर्ण/सौहार्दपूर्ण )
Synonyms: affectionate, amicable, cheerful, congenial, cozy
Antonyms: cold, cool, disagreeable, insincere, rude
2.Concerned(चिंतित).
Synonyms: anxious, distressed, disturbed, troubled, uneasy
Antonyms: calm, collected, composed, cool, happy
3.Excludes(शामिल नहीं/निकालना)
Synonyms: ban, bar, block, boycott, eliminate
Antonyms: accept, add, allow, approve, choose, include
4.Quantum(हिस्सा/परिमाण)
Synonyms: measure, portion, sum, total, unit
Antonyms: part, whole
5.Distress(संकट/विपत्ति)
Synonyms: ache, affliction, anguish, anxiety, blues
Antonyms: advantage, aid, blessing, calm, calmness
6.Overseeing(देखरेख)
Synonyms: command, inspect, baby-sit, boss, captain
Antonyms: follow, ignore, neglect, obey
7.Provisions(प्रावधानों)
Synonyms: board, chow, fare, feed, fodder
8.Unfortunate(दुर्भाग्य./खेदजनक)
Synonyms: adverse, damaging, deplorable, disastrous, inappropriate
Antonyms: auspicious, blessed, favorable, fortunate, good
9.Dictum(तानाशाह )
Synonyms: adage, aphorism, axiom, maxim, precept
10.Mechanism(क्रियाविधि/युक्ति
Synonyms: instrument, structure, system, tool, apparatus, appliance
11.Verdict(निर्णय/विचार) .
Synonyms: answer, award, conclusion, decision, decree
Antonyms: accusation
12.Embark(शुरू करना)
Synonyms: commence, enter, launch, board, emplane
Antonyms: cease, end, finish, stop, disembark
