The Karnataka government has asked the Cauvery Water Management Authority to review its direction requiring the state to release 4,000 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu for 15 days, citing severe drought and depleted reservoir stocks in the Cauvery basin.
Water Resources Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy said the request was made in relation to the direction issued at a September 9 meeting. Karnataka has asked that the daily release be reduced to 2,000 cusecs.
According to the minister, inflows into the Krishna Raja Sagar, Hemavathi, Harangi and Kabini reservoirs have declined sharply. The four reservoirs together have about 49 TMC feet of water available for use, he said, adding that this quantity is required to meet the state’s drinking-water needs until June.
The minister said 44.21 TMC feet had already flowed to Tamil Nadu at Biligundlu as of September 30. Karnataka has argued before the authority that Tamil Nadu is likely to receive favourable conditions from the northeast monsoon, forming part of its case for reconsidering the release direction.
The dispute places the management of inter-state river flows alongside Karnataka’s longer drinking-water planning cycle. The state’s submission is based on the balance between complying with the authority’s direction and retaining water in reservoirs that supply communities across the Cauvery basin. The supplied report does not specify when the authority will decide on Karnataka’s request or whether the existing release direction has been modified.
The Cauvery Water Management Authority’s decision will determine the immediate release schedule. Until then, the minister’s statement indicates that Karnataka is seeking a lower daily outflow while prioritising the stored water it says is needed for drinking-water requirements through June.
