The water wars Karnataka is facing with Goa and Tamil Nadu have become a major issues in the poll-bound State which is crucial for both the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP.
A letter written by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami to Karnataka Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, seeking 7 TMC of water from Cauvery and Mahadayi row with Goa seem to be major issues in the polls. However Siddaramaiah said that State cannot release water as there was a very low storage in the reservoirs in Cauvery basin which is very important for congress in the old Mysuru area. He said in Delhi "How can we release water when storage levels in our reservoirs in the Cauvery river basin are low? There is no question of releasing water now."
Karnataka and Goa, the riparian States of the Mahadayi river (known as Mandovi in Goa), are locked in a bitter battle over sharing of the river water, which originates in Belagavi in Karnataka. Farmers in those districts demanding water from Mahadayi for drinking purpose have been protesting for the past one year. It has become a major issue for BJP which has to solve the riddle as Goa is ruled by a BJP Government.
Meanwhile Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said the State’s Chief Secretary had written to his counterpart in Karnataka “pointing out to the violations of the SC directives by the resumption of the work on a canal at the Mahadayi tributary”.
But Parrikar had written a letter to BJP president BS Yeddyurappa saying that he had an open mind to release the water for drinking purpose which was read out by Yeddyurappa on December 21 in front of the protesting farmers .