Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Expertise over politics: On the Cauvery water dispute

Expertise over politics: On the Cauvery water dispute

Litigation (मुकदमेबाजी) over water can be avoided only with fixed distress (संकट, कठिनाई) sharing norms (मानदण्ड, आदर्श, मानक)

In declining to interfere with the order of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) (Central Government, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 4 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 (33 of 1956) had constituted the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal Vide notification number S.O. 437(E), dated the 2nd June, 1990 to adjudicate upon the water dispute regarding the Inter-State river Cauvery and the river valley thereof among the States of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Union territory of Puducherry), directing Karnataka to release 5,000 cubic feet of water per second (cusecs) to Tamil Nadu until September 27, the Supreme Court has rightly (ठीक, उचित रूप से) chosen to defer (agree with, comply with, respect, accede, acknowledge) to the wisdom (बुद्धिमत्ता) of an expert body that is better placed to apportion (बांटना, विभाग करना) the available water in a rainfall deficit (कमी, घाटा) year. Karnataka had approached the apex court against the order, contending (संघर्ष करना, दावा करना) that it was suffering from a shortfall of over 53% in inflows to its reservoirs (जलाशय) this year, following a weak south-west monsoon (दक्षिण-पश्चिम मानसून), and was not in a position to release 5,000 cusecs (a unit of flow of water equal to one cubic foot per second) for 15 more days. To its credit, the upper riparian (located on the bank of a river) State has been complying with (अनुपालन करना) the CWMA’s order amid (के बीच) pressure and protests from some political parties and organisations. Earlier, Tamil Nadu had approached the Court in mid-August to seek directions (instruct, order, command, require) for water release from Karnataka’s reservoirs so that the quantum (मात्रा) stipulated (specify, set out, state clearly, demand, require, insist on) for it for the second half of August and whole of September could be realised (एहसास होना). The Court had then sought a report from the CWMA, which has spelt out the extent (degree, level, scale, magnitude, amount) of the distress this year. The 15-day period for which the current CWMA order is applicable ends on September 27, and the Authority’s assisting body, the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) (A Cauvery Water Regulation Committee has been constituted by the Government of India as per the provisions in the Cauvery Management Scheme laid down by the Supreme Court. The committee is designed to have representatives from four states of the Cauvery basin-Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala & Puducherry. The committee will assist the Cauvery Management Authority to implement the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award as modified by the Supreme Court) is scheduled (plan, arrange or organize (an event) to happen at a specific time) to meet on September 26 to consider (look at, examine, check out, scrutinize, inspect) the situation afresh (again, anew, once again, once more). The dispute has surfaced (emerge, arise, appear, come out, crop up, loom) after a few years, once again highlighting (emphasise, underline, underscore, stress, call/draw attention to) the fact that (used to refer to a specific situation under consideration/discussion) the parties need a regular formula to share the shortfall and distress in years when the monsoon fails.

In years of abundance, there is little difficulty in Karnataka releasing the water in compliance with (in agreement with, in accordance with, in line with, in conformity with) the final award (giving, granting, conferment) of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (The Government of India constituted the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) on June 2, 1990, to adjudicate the water dispute between the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry with respect to the inter-state Cauvery water and river basin), as modified by the Supreme Court in 2018. It is well-known that much of this release is the natural downstream ((a community/area situated) in the direction in which a stream/river flows) flow of water during heavy rainfall from brimming (overflow, fill, fill up, be filled with) reservoirs. It is only during deficit years that the States involved feel that the Court will pass favourable orders even if the CWMA does not. This kind of yearly adjudication (arbitration, settlement, resolution, verdict) and seasonal litigation should not become the norm. The CWMA should utilise (make use of, use, resort to, take advantage of) the opportunity to come up with (submit, propose, present, put forward, suggest) a permanent formula on how to assess deficit in a given year. Even on the manner of assessment (evaluation, analysis, estimation, appraisal) of deficit, the two States have divergent (different, differing, varying, contradictory) views. It is now up to (the responsibility of someone/something) the CWMA and the CWRC in gathering data on rainfall, inflows and storage, to evolve (develop gradually) an acceptable formula to apportion the shortfall in an equitable (fair, just, fair-minded, even-handed, impartial, unbiased) way. It is inevitable (unavoidable, unpreventable) that neither State will be satisfied with the quantum of release ordered by the CWMA, but it is at this point that politics should yield (surrender, capitulate, submit, back down, give in/give way; agree to) to domain (area, sphere, realm, field (of activity)) expertise.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.expertise (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विशेषज्ञता
English Meaning - skill, knowledge, competence, proficiency, capability.

2.litigation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मुकदमेबाजी
English Meaning - legal dispute, legal case, court case, legal proceeding, legal action.

3.distress (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संकट, कठिनाई
English Meaning - anguish, suffering, pain, affliction; difficulty, danger, trouble, hardship, adversity.

4.norm (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मानदण्ड, आदर्श, मानक
English Meaning - standard, convention, regulation.

5.rightly (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - ठीक, उचित रूप से
English Meaning - correctly.

6.wisdom (noun)

Hindi Meaning - बुद्धिमत्ता
English Meaning - understanding, insight, perception, discernment, foresight, rationale, rationality, knowledge.

7.apportion (verb)

Hindi Meaning - बांटना, विभाग करना
English Meaning - earmark, designate, set apart, set aside.

8.deficit (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कमी, घाटा
English Meaning - shortfall, deficiency, shortage.

9.contend (verb)

Hindi Meaning - संघर्ष करना, दावा करना
English Meaning - assert, affirm, claim, argue, allege, state, insist.

10.reservoir (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जलाशय
English Meaning - a source of water supply; pool, lake, pond.

11.south-west monsoon (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दक्षिण-पश्चिम मानसून
English Meaning - The southwesterly wind flow occurring over most parts of India and Indian Seas gives rise to southwest monsoon over India from June to September. The four-month long summer Monsoon season brings 70% of the country’s annual rainfall. It holds a Long Period Average (LPA) of 89 cm of rain but never behaves in a normal manner. In fact, rainfall distribution mostly remains uneven both in space and time.

12.comply with (verb)

Hindi Meaning - अनुपालन करना
English Meaning - abide by, stick to, hold to, adhere to, act in accordance with, conform to.

13.amid (preposition)

Hindi Meaning - के बीच
English Meaning - in the middle of, surrounded by; during.

14.quantum (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मात्रा
English Meaning - measure, unit, amount, portion.

15.realise (verb)

Hindi Meaning - एहसास होना
English Meaning - fulfil, achieve, accomplish, make happen, carry out.

16.Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) (noun)

English Meaning - Central Government, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 4 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 (33 of 1956) had constituted the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal Vide notification number S.O. 437(E), dated the 2nd June, 1990 to adjudicate upon the water dispute regarding the Inter-State river Cauvery and the river valley thereof among the States of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Union territory of Puducherry.

17.direct (verb)

English Meaning - instruct, order, command, require.

18.cusecs (plural noun)

English Meaning - a unit of flow of water equal to one cubic foot per second.

19.defer (verb)

English Meaning - agree with, comply with, respect, accede, acknowledge.

20.be better placed to (phrase)

English Meaning - to be in a better position/situation to do something.

21.long period average (LPA) (noun)

English Meaning - LPA is the average rainfall received by the country as a whole during the south-west monsoon, for a 50-year period. The current LPA is 88 cm, based on the mean (average) rainfall over the years 1951 and 2000.

22.to one’s credit (phrase)

English Meaning - used to mention that someone deserves praise/admiration.

23.riparian (adjective)

English Meaning - located on the bank of a river.

24.stipulate (verb)

English Meaning - specify, set out, state clearly, demand, require, insist on.

25.sought past tense of seek (verb)

English Meaning - request, ask for, demand.

26.spell out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - explain, make clear, elucidate/clarify.

27.extent (noun)

English Meaning - degree, level, scale, magnitude, amount.

28.Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) (noun)

English Meaning - A Cauvery Water Regulation Committee has been constituted by the Government of India as per the provisions in the Cauvery Management Scheme laid down by the Supreme Court. The committee is designed to have representatives from four states of the Cauvery basin-Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala & Puducherry. The committee will assist the Cauvery Management Authority to implement the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award as modified by the Supreme Court.

29.schedule (verb)

English Meaning - plan, arrange or organize (an event) to happen at a specific time.

30.consider (verb)

English Meaning - look at, examine, check out, scrutinize, inspect,

31.afresh (adverb)

English Meaning - again, anew, once again, once more.

32.surface (verb)

English Meaning - emerge, arise, appear, come out, crop up, loom.

33.highlight (verb)

English Meaning - emphasise, underline, underscore, stress, call/draw attention to.

34.the fact that (phrase)

English Meaning - used to refer to a specific situation under consideration/discussion.

35.in compliance with (phrase)

English Meaning - in agreement with, in accordance with, in line with, in conformity with.

36.award (noun)

English Meaning - giving, granting, conferment.

37.Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) (noun)

English Meaning - The Government of India constituted the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) on June 2, 1990, to adjudicate the water dispute between the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry with respect to the inter-state Cauvery water and river basin.

38.well-known (adjective)

English Meaning - familiar, common, usual, widely known.

39.downstream (adverb)

English Meaning - (a community/area situated) in the direction in which a stream/river flows.

40.brim (verb)

English Meaning - overflow, fill, fill up, be filled with.

41.adjudication (noun)

English Meaning - arbitration, settlement, resolution, verdict.

42.utilise (verb)

English Meaning - make use of, use, resort to, take advantage of.

43.come up with (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - submit, propose, present, put forward, suggest.