The Tamil Nadu government has approached the Supreme Court against Karnataka, alleging that the neighbouring state has failed to release its share of Cauvery water despite repeated directions issued by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC).
The petition was filed on Monday following instructions from Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay after Karnataka allegedly failed to comply with the water release orders issued by the Cauvery authorities.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
At its 139th meeting on July 28, the CWRC 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 decision was later reaffirmed by the CWMA during its 54th emergency meeting on July 30 after reviewing rainfall and water availability in the Cauvery basin.
However, Tamil Nadu claimed that the inflow at Biligundlu between July 29 and August 2 ranged from just 158 to 550 cusecs, far below the mandated 3,500 cusecs.
The state further argued that Karnataka had adequate water reserves to meet the release requirement. According to the petition, the KRS reservoir held 23.078 TMC of water, Kabini 18.610 TMC, Harangi 7.827 TMC and Hemavathi 28.022 TMC as of August 3, taking the combined storage in the four reservoirs to 77.537 TMC.
Tamil Nadu also pointed to heavy rainfall in the Cauvery catchment areas, claiming there was no practical difficulty preventing Karnataka from releasing the required quantity of water. Under the proportional sharing formula, the state said it was entitled to receive 26.954 TMC at Biligundlu, significantly higher than the 4.536 TMC directed by the CWMA for the current period.
Seeking urgent relief, Tamil Nadu has requested the Supreme Court to direct Karnataka to comply with the orders issued by the CWMA and CWRC and ensure the release of its rightful share of Cauvery water within the stipulated timeframe.
