Karnataka files appeal in CWMA; it directed the State today to comply with CWRC order

New Delhi: The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) has recommended that Karnataka release 9,000 cusecs of Cauvery water daily to Tamil Nadu for 15 days, amounting to about 11.7 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft).

The recommendation was made yesterday after a meeting of the CWRC chaired by Vineet Gupta that lasted around one-and-a-half hours.

The Committee reviewed rainfall and the crop situation in the Cauvery basin and instructed Karnataka to ensure releases from its reservoirs so that flows of 9,000 cusecs are realised at Biligundulu starting at 8 am on Aug. 25 (today) and continuing for the next 15 days.

During the meeting, Karnataka informed the panel that cumulative inflows into its four Cauvery reservoirs were about 49.18 percent below the 30-year average. The State noted a sharp decline in inflows in the Karnataka portion of the basin, with combined reservoir inflows falling from 77,048 cusecs to 9,282 cusecs.

Officials said, maintaining the earlier direction of release of 12,000 cusecs per day at Biligundulu had become difficult.

Karnataka said, it had complied with the CWRC’s previous order. Between July 29 and Aug. 23, 2026, Biligundulu recorded 2,16,993 cusecs against the ordered cumulative of 1,84,500 cusecs, an excess of 32,493 cusecs, Karnataka said.

Tamil Nadu, on its part, urged the CWRC to direct Karnataka to immediately make good a claimed shortfall of 17.49 tmcft up to Aug. 23.

It sought continued regulated releases from the Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) and Kabini reservoirs to maintain the stipulated flows at Biligundulu and called for a total realisation of 28.386 tmcft at the gauging site during the period from Aug. 24 to Sept. 7, 2026.

The latest directive comes amid concerns over declining storage levels in Karnataka’s reservoirs and inadequate rainfall in the Cauvery basin, further pressuring Karnataka’s water resources. The CWRC’s recommendation will now add to the ongoing Cauvery water-sharing tensions between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.