The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee has directed Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu for 15 days, requiring a total flow of 3 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) through the Cauvery river system. The decision follows a meeting in which the committee reviewed the water situation in both states.
The direction was reported by Prajavani after the committee meeting held on Friday. The report said the panel examined information on the prevailing water conditions in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu before deciding on the release requirement.
According to the report, Karnataka told the committee that it had not yet released its full share of water to Tamil Nadu. The state also sought measures to enable the release of additional water. At the same time, Karnataka argued that releasing more water would be difficult because rainfall deficiency had reduced the quantity of water available in its reservoirs.
The committee considered the positions of both states before directing Karnataka to maintain a daily release of 3,000 cusecs. The release is to continue for 15 days, adding up to 3 TMC of water. The direction places the immediate focus on how Karnataka’s reservoirs and river flows will be managed during a period when the state says storage levels are already under pressure.
The report also said that Karnataka had already released a higher quantity of water to Tamil Nadu through the Cauvery. However, it did not provide the volume already released, the reservoir-wise storage position, or the specific locations from which the additional water is to be measured and discharged.
The latest direction comes within the continuing interstate management of the Cauvery, a river system whose flows are shared between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. In this instance, the committee’s decision is based on the water-status information presented by the two states and the need to regulate the flow during the current period.
For Karnataka, the immediate administrative challenge is to meet the prescribed release while accounting for the reduced reservoir levels cited before the committee. For Tamil Nadu, the direction sets a specific near-term flow requirement of 3,000 cusecs a day. The supplied report does not state how either state responded after the direction, whether Karnataka accepted the decision, or what further proceedings are scheduled.
The 15-day period and the total quantity of 3 TMC provide the next operational benchmark in the dispute. Further developments will depend on implementation of the committee’s direction and any subsequent review of water conditions in the two states.
