Chennai : The Tamil Nadu government has approached the Supreme Court accusing Karnataka of failing to release Cauvery water in accordance with the directions issued by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC). At its 139th meeting on July 28, the CWRC reviewed the hydrological and rainfall situation in the Cauvery basin and directed Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water per second at Biligundlu for 15 days, from July 29 to August 12, by drawing water from the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) and Kabini reservoirs.
The CWRC’s directive was reaffirmed by the CWMA during its 54th emergency meeting on July 30 after assessing water availability and rainfall across the basin. However, Tamil Nadu alleged that Karnataka failed to comply with the order. According to the state, the inflow at Biligundlu between July 29 and August 2 ranged from just 158 to 550 cusecs per second, far below the mandated 3,500 cusecs.
Tamil Nadu argued that Karnataka has sufficient water available in its reservoirs and therefore has no valid reason for withholding the release. As of August 3, the Krishnaraja Sagar reservoir held 23.078 TMC of water, Kabini 18.610 TMC, Harangi 7.827 TMC and Hemavathi 28.022 TMC, taking the total storage across the four reservoirs to 77.537 TMC, including 67.517 TMC of utilisable water.
The state further submitted that heavy rainfall in the catchment areas of the KRS and Kabini reservoirs has substantially increased inflows, strengthening Karnataka’s ability to meet its obligations under the Cauvery water-sharing arrangement. Citing the proportional sharing formula, Tamil Nadu claimed it is entitled to receive 26.954 TMC of water at Biligundlu during the current period, significantly higher than the 4.536 TMC directed by the CWMA. It argued that Karnataka had failed to release even the quantity ordered by the authority.
Maintaining that there was no practical impediment to Karnataka releasing Tamil Nadu’s due share, the state said it had decided to move the Supreme Court on the advice of senior legal counsel.Through its petition, Tamil Nadu has sought directions from the apex court to ensure Karnataka complies with the orders of the CWMA and CWRC and releases the stipulated quantity of Cauvery water within the prescribed timeframe.
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