Supreme Court to hear Tamil Nadu’s plea on Aug. 13

Bengaluru: The Cauvery water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu intensified on Tuesday after the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) ordered Karnataka to release 12,000 cusecs of water from KRS daily to TN for 15 days, sharply raising the stakes in the inter-State confrontation.

The directive, issued at a meeting chaired by CWRC Chairman Vineet Gupta yesterday, comes barely days after Tamil Nadu accused Karnataka of failing to honour an earlier water-release direction and amid mounting legal pressure before the Supreme Court.

The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), the appellate body, met under S.K. Haldar and also directed Karnataka yesterday to ensure the release.

A Karnataka official said, it was unusual for both meetings to be held on the same day. Normally, the CWMA convenes one or two days later, allowing basin States time to appeal against CWRC directions.

The latest order marks a substantial increase from the CWRC’s July 28 direction, which had asked Karnataka to ensure a flow of 3,500 cusecs at Biligundlu for 15 days from July 29.

The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) subsequently endorsed the direction and asked Karnataka to comply. Tamil Nadu, however, complained that Karnataka had failed to release the mandated quantity.

According to the latest order, Karnataka must ensure the release of 12,000 cusecs daily, equivalent to 1.03 tmcft, from its Cauvery Basin reservoirs starting Aug. 12 for 15 days, amounting to a total of 15.53 tmcft at Biligundlu, the inter-State measurement point.

Earlier, on July 28, the CWRC had directed a flow of 3,500 cusecs at Biligundlu for 15 days from July 29. Karnataka’s data showed that the flow at Biligundlu remained between just 158 cusecs and 550 cusecs from July 29 to Aug. 2, according to the State Government.

Supreme Court hearing

The matter has simultaneously moved to the Supreme Court, which on Monday agreed to hear Tamil Nadu’s plea on Aug. 13, seeking the immediate release of its allocated share of Cauvery water.

A Bench, headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana, took note of TN’s submission that Karnataka was not releasing its due share despite prevailing rain-deficient conditions.

Tamil Nadu had moved the Apex Court on Aug. 3, arguing that both the quantum recommended by the CWRC and the actual water released by Karnataka were substantially inadequate.

The latest CWRC directive is therefore set to put Karnataka under fresh pressure to release water even as the State faces its own concerns over reservoir levels, rainfall and water availability.