The Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee has recommended that Karnataka release 4,000 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu for 15 days, revising an earlier direction for a daily release of 6,000 cusecs amid concerns over low inflows and drought conditions in the Cauvery basin.
The recommendation was made at the committee’s meeting on Thursday, according to a report by Prajavani. The decision comes after the Cauvery Water Management Authority directed Karnataka on September 8 to release 6,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu every day.
Karnataka had objected to that direction, stating that the state’s drought conditions had not been adequately considered. The state government’s position is linked to the limited availability of water in the reservoirs serving the Cauvery basin and the sharp fall in inflows.
Gaurav Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary of Karnataka’s Water Resources Department, appealed to the authority on September 15. In the appeal, he said that the four reservoirs in the Cauvery basin together held 55 TMC feet of water. He also pointed out that inflows into the reservoirs had declined by 87 per cent over the previous month.
According to the details cited in the report, the current inflow into the reservoirs was about 3,000 cusecs. The figures highlight the administrative challenge facing the state: the water being received by the basin is lower than the daily release previously ordered to Tamil Nadu, while the reservoirs must also support local water requirements.
The regulatory committee’s recommendation does not remove the wider dispute over how interstate river water should be shared during a weak monsoon or drought period. It instead sets out a lower daily release for a limited period, based on the water availability and inflow conditions presented by Karnataka.
The Cauvery basin’s reservoir levels are significant for both irrigation and public water management. Decisions on releases affect downstream supply in Tamil Nadu while also shaping the water available for Karnataka’s agricultural areas and communities dependent on the basin. The committee’s recommendation therefore places reservoir storage, inflows and seasonal water availability at the centre of the immediate dispute.
The latest recommendation follows the earlier 6,000-cusecs order and Karnataka’s appeal against it. The supplied report does not state when the Cauvery Water Management Authority will take a final decision on the committee’s recommendation or whether the revised release will be implemented immediately. The next formal step will depend on the authority’s consideration of the panel’s recommendation.
