Vijay goes to Supreme Court over fight for Cauvery water with Karnataka

Tamil Nadu contended that there was no practical difficulty preventing Karnataka from releasing its rightful share of water on a proportional basis.

In Short

• Tamil Nadu seeks directions after Karnataka allegedly ignores CWMA, CWRC orders
• Petition filed on CM C Vijay's instructions amid rising reservoir inflows
• Karnataka government has not responded to it yet

The Tamil Nadu government has approached the Supreme Court against Karnataka over the non-release of Cauvery water, accusing the neighbouring state of failing to comply with the directions issued by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC).

The petition was filed on Monday on the instructions of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, after Karnataka allegedly failed to release the stipulated quantum of water despite repeated directions from the Cauvery authorities.

At its 139th meeting held on July 28, the CWRC reviewed the hydrological and meteorological conditions in the Cauvery basin and directed Karnataka to ensure the release of 3,500 cusecs of water per second at Biligundlu for 15 days, from July 29 to August 12, by releasing water from the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) and Kabini reservoirs.

The CWRC's decision was subsequently reaffirmed by the CWMA during its 54th emergency meeting on July 30 after reviewing the basin's water availability and rainfall conditions.

However, according to the Tamil Nadu government, the inflow recorded at Biligundlu between July 29 and August 2 ranged between only 158 and 550 cusecs, well below the mandated 3,500 cusecs.

The state further argued that Karnataka had sufficient water available in its reservoirs to comply with the release order. As of August 3, the Krishnaraja Sagar reservoir held 23.078 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water, Kabini 18.610 TMC, Harangi 7.827 TMC and Hemavathi 28.022 TMC. The combined storage in the four reservoirs stood at 77.537 TMC, including 67.517 TMC of utilisable water.

Tamil Nadu contended that there was no practical difficulty preventing Karnataka from releasing its rightful share of water on a proportional basis.

The state also pointed to heavy rainfall in the catchment areas of the KRS and Kabini reservoirs, which has significantly increased inflows. Based on the proportional sharing formula, Tamil Nadu claimed it was entitled to receive 26.954 TMC of water at Biligundlu, substantially higher than the 4.536 TMC directed by the CWMA for the current period.

Arguing that Karnataka had failed to release even the quantity ordered by the CWMA, Tamil Nadu said the state government, acting on the advice of senior legal counsel, decided to move the Supreme Court.

The petition seeks appropriate directions to ensure Karnataka complies with the Cauvery authorities' orders and that Tamil Nadu receives its rightful share of Cauvery water within the stipulated timeframe.

- Ends