Karnataka is not in a position to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu as the state is facing the worst ever drought this year, state water resources minister H K Patil said on Saturday. It is not possible to release water from the Krishnaraja Sagar dam across the Cauvery river near Mysore to Tamil Nadu as Karnataka state is facing the worst ever drought this year, he told a press conference in Naragund.
Karnataka was facing severe water problems in the state following the failure of the southwest monsoon and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa would understand the severity of the situation, he said.
Jayalalitha on Friday had asked Prime Minister A B Vajpayee to impress upon Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna on the need for releasing Cauvery water to save standing crops in Tamil Nadu.

She also told the Assembly today that the Centre had convened a meeting of the monitoring committee of the cauvery river authority for Sept 9.

Patil said Karnataka would give details about the famine to Tamil Nadu during the Sept 9 meeting.
He also said that the irrigation minister and secretary of Tamil Nadu were to arrive in Bangalore today for talks, but it had been postponed in view of the Sept 9 meeting.
Bureau Report