Bangalore: Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna has informed Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee that the state government would take "appropriate action" on his request to release three TMC ft of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu after the monsoon position improved to enable the release.

"Our hopes of a vigorous monsoon have not fructified. We have been eagerly waiting for the monsoon to come to our rescue as the position has become quite difficult," Krishna said in a letter to Vajpayee, which was released to the press.

Krishna said, "My government would take appropriate action in the matter soon after the position improves to enable us to release the requisite quantities of water."

He said that the inflow into the four reservoirs, Harangi, Hemavathy, Krishnarajasagara and Kabini, in the Cauvery basin in Karnataka had not been encouraging. In fact, so far, it was lower as compared to the corresponding period of the last five years.

The total storage and the total inflow was much below even the average for the corresponding period in the last five years, Krishna said in the letter following the recent conversation with Vajpayee who had urged Karnataka to release three TMC ft as a goodwill gesture.

Krishna said that he had been continuously monitoring the position of inflow and storage in the reservoirs in the Cauvery basin and was hopeful that the monsoon would be "good enough" to enable the state to ensure adequate supply of water to the farmers of both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

"However, as you are already aware, the monsoon has been very erratic not only in June 2002 but also in the current week of July 2002. This is particularly so in the catchment areas," he said.

PTI