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New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) The Ministry of Water Resources has notified the final award of Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) in an official gazette in accordance with the directions of the Supreme Court, a ministry release said Wednesday. The award was notified Tuesday almost six years after it was given by CWDT. The Supreme Court Feb 4 directed the central government to publish in official gazette by Feb 20 the final decision of CWDT given Feb 5, 2007. The tribunal, in its award, determined the "utilisable quantum of waters of the Cauvery at Lower Coleroon Anicut site" to be 740 thousand million cubic (TMC) feet. The tribunal gave Tamil Nadu 419 TMC of water, Karnataka 270 TMC, Kerala 30 TMC and Puducherry seven TMC. It reserved 10 TMC for environmental protection and determined four TMC for "inevitable escapages into the sea." It also ordered tentative monthly deliveries during a normal year to be made by Karnataka at the inter-state contact point at 192 TMC in a year. "The quantum of 192 TMC of water comprises 182 TMC from the allocated share of Tamil Nadu and 10 TMC of water allocated for environmental purposes," it said. According to the Inter-state River Water Disputes Act, the decision of the tribunal published in the official gazette will be final and binding on the parties to the dispute. The act also says that the decision of the tribunal, after its publication in the gazette, will have the same force as a decree of the Supreme Court. Sources said Cauvery River Authority and Cauvery Monitoring Committee will cease to exist after notification of the tribunal's decision.
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