Tamil Nadu has moved the Supreme Court accusing Karnataka of deliberately disobeying a Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) direction to release 3,000 cusecs of water daily, saying the shortfall is threatening water availability for the state’s delayed samba crop in the delta region.
In its application in the pending Cauvery dispute case, the Tamil Nadu government said Karnataka had failed to release the stipulated quantity despite having adequate storage in its four major Cauvery basin reservoirs. The state asked the court to direct Karnataka to make good the accumulated shortfall and continue releasing 3,000 cusecs a day until November 6.
The CWMA issued its direction on October 23 after the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee found that Karnataka’s releases had fallen short during the current water year. Tamil Nadu said the flow recorded at Biligundulu, the interstate measurement point, was 1,652 cusecs on October 24, 1,853 cusecs on October 25 and 1,642 cusecs on October 26. The flow rose to 3,002 cusecs on October 27.
According to the application, Karnataka released a total of 8,149 cusecs during the first four days against the required 12,000 cusecs, leaving a deficit of 3,851 cusecs. Tamil Nadu argued that the failure to release the full quantity amounted to a violation of the Supreme Court’s decree and the CWMA’s directions. The state sought action on what it described as wilful disobedience.
Tamil Nadu also contested Karnataka’s position that the water was required for Bengaluru’s drinking water needs. It claimed that Bengaluru’s requirements could be met with around 14 thousand million cubic feet over the next seven months, calculated at approximately 2 tmcft a month. The state described Karnataka’s claim that it needed 43 tmcft for drinking water and other requirements as exaggerated and said it was being used to deny Tamil Nadu its due share during a distress year.
The dispute has direct consequences for cultivation in Tamil Nadu’s Cauvery delta. The state said the long-duration samba crop was sown only in the first week of September, compared with the normal sowing period in mid-July, because of inadequate storage in the Mettur reservoir. Although water was being rationed and other measures taken to optimise its use, farmers remained concerned about protecting the crop and securing yields.
Tamil Nadu added that the northeast monsoon had begun but that it was too early to determine whether rainfall would meet the crop’s requirements before the season ends in mid-January. It has asked the Supreme Court to direct the CWMA to reconsider its October 23 order and ensure that the backlog owed to the state is released at Biligundulu on a pro-rata basis.
