THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- September 7, 2016- Topic 2
Return of the Cauvery crisis
With the Southwest monsoon
falling short this season, the story of any other monsoon-deficient year is
being repeated: Tamil Nadu rushing to the Supreme Court citing the crisis faced
by its farmers, the court ordering release of some water, and protests erupting
in Karnataka.
The reason for this endless cycle of SPORADIC litigation and ad hoc adjudication is that the two States continue to avoid any mutual engagement to share the shortfall during distress years. And there is no permanent, independent mechanism to ensure this. The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, which gave its award in 2007, has asked the parties to share the DEFICIENCY on a pro rata basis. However, a major problem in implementing this aspect is the absence of a ‘Cauvery Management Board’ and a Regulatory Authority, which the Tribunal had wanted created to oversee implementation. Instead, after notifying the final award in 2013, the Union government set up a Supervisory Committee comprising officials from the Union government and the Central Water Commission and representatives of both States. The court has now asked Tamil Nadu to approach the committee, which will decide on further releases.
The reason for this endless cycle of SPORADIC litigation and ad hoc adjudication is that the two States continue to avoid any mutual engagement to share the shortfall during distress years. And there is no permanent, independent mechanism to ensure this. The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, which gave its award in 2007, has asked the parties to share the DEFICIENCY on a pro rata basis. However, a major problem in implementing this aspect is the absence of a ‘Cauvery Management Board’ and a Regulatory Authority, which the Tribunal had wanted created to oversee implementation. Instead, after notifying the final award in 2013, the Union government set up a Supervisory Committee comprising officials from the Union government and the Central Water Commission and representatives of both States. The court has now asked Tamil Nadu to approach the committee, which will decide on further releases.
The Supreme Court’s
direction, when implemented, will ensure about 13 thousand million cubic (tmc)
feet of water to Tamil Nadu over 10 days. This will not be ADEQUATE to save the entire samba crop, Tamil
Nadu leaders argue, while their Karnataka counterparts contend that this itself
is a huge burden, given the State’s own storage DEFICIT. It is understandable that the
political leadership of any State would not want to be seen as BETRAYING the interests of its farmers. Yet, the
desire to protect one’s own interests should not shut out empathy for one’s
neighbour. Ideally, any distress-sharing formula should come from a technical
body. It would have helped if the Centre, which DILLY-DALLIED for six years before notifying the final
award under a judicial direction, had set up the Cauvery Management Board and
Regulatory Authority. In the longer term, experts will have to DEVISE a sustainable agricultural solution for the Cauvery basin, as the river
does not seem to have the potential to meet the farming requirements of both
sides. In a world of depleting water resources, fewer crop seasons and lower
acreages, a resort to less water-intensive crops and better water management
hold the key. Non-political initiatives, such as the ‘Cauvery Family’, a body
formed a few years ago covering farmers of both States, could help DISPERSE the clouds of hostility that gather
over the border whenever the Cauvery crisis ERUPTS.
Politics and passion should not be allowed to hold sway.
::::::::::::::::::::::Meanings
with example and Synonyms::::::::::::::::::::::
Sporadic: occurring at irregular intervals or only in a few places; scattered or
isolated.
Example: sporadic fighting broke out
Synonyms: occasional, infrequent, irregular, periodic, scattered, patchy
Deficiency: a lack or shortage.
Example: vitamin A deficiency in children
Synonyms: insufficiency, lack, shortage, want, dearth, inadequacy, deficit
Adequate: satisfactory or acceptable in quality or quantity.
Example: this office is perfectly adequate for my needs
Synonyms: sufficient, enough, requisite; acceptable, passable, reasonable
Deficit: the amount by which something, especially a sum of money, is too small.
Example: The fund will absorb the deficit in the Rover pension scheme, which
officially stands at £67.6m.
Synonyms: shortfall, deficiency, shortage, debt, arrears, negative
amount, loss
Betraying: unintentionally reveal; be evidence of.
Example: she drew a deep breath that betrayed her indignation
Dilly-Dallied: waste time through aimless wandering or indecision.
Example: don't dilly-dally for too long
Synonyms: waste time, dally, dawdle, loiter, linger,delay, temporize
Devise: plan or invent (a complex procedure, system, or mechanism) by careful
thought.
Example: a training program should be devised
Synonyms: conceive, think up, dream up, work out, formulate
Disperse: distribute or spread over a wide area.
Example: storms can disperse seeds via high altitudes
Synonyms: scatter, disseminate, distribute, spread, broadcast
Erupts: (of a volcano) become active and eject lava, ash, and gases.
Example: Mount Pinatubo began erupting in June
Synonyms: emit lava, become active, flare up, explode
