Produced by: Tarun Mishra
Designed by: Mohsin Shaikh
Tamil Nadu approached the Supreme Court on August 14, urgently seeking intervention in the Cauvery water dispute with Karnataka. Their request was to immediately release 24,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs) of water from its reservoirs and ensure this specified quantity is available at Biligundlu on the inter-State border for the remainder of August
A monthly water-sharing schedule governs the distribution of Cauvery River water. Karnataka, as the upper riparian state, is obligated to provide Tamil Nadu with a total of 177.25 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of water in a "normal" water year (June to May). This allocation includes 123.14 TMC for the southwest monsoon season from June to September. Disputes often arise during this period due to varying rainfall
Tamil Nadu's appeal to the Supreme Court was prompted by specific events, including:
- CWMA's Request: On August 11, the CWMA requested Karnataka to release 10,000 cusecs of water for 15 days, starting from August 12, totaling 12.9 TMC
- Disagreement over Quantity: During the CWMA meeting, Karnataka proposed releasing only 8,000 cusecs until August 22, contrary to the agreed-upon 15,000 cusecs
The CWMA's directive required Karnataka to maintain a discharge of 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu for an additional 15 days. However, officials have stated that there is an insufficient water supply available for this release
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have a long-standing dispute over the allocation of Cauvery river water, dating back to the colonial period. Despite previous efforts to resolve the issue, a lasting resolution remains elusive
The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) was established in 1990 to address water disputes among Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, and Puducherry. The CWDT issued temporary directives to Karnataka, mandating the release of 205 million cubic feet of water to Tamil Nadu on a monthly or weekly basis
The Supreme Court, on September 21, decided not to take action regarding the directive from the CWMA instructing the government to discharge 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu. A three-judge panel explicitly stated that they had no intention of considering Tamil Nadu's appeal challenging the CWMA's decision
The bench emphasized that both the CWMA and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) must meticulously assess critical factors like drought conditions and insufficient rainfall before issuing any directives. Consequently, the Supreme Court maintained its stance of not intervening in the order that instructed Karnataka to release 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu
Karnataka cited reduced rainfall in the Cauvery catchment area, particularly in Kodagu, as the reason for poor inflow into its reservoirs. Although Karnataka's Chief Minister supported the concept of a distress-sharing formula, it was not accepted during the CWMA meeting
Tamil Nadu, especially its farmers in the Cauvery delta, are anxiously awaiting Karnataka's response to the CWMA's decision. The Mettur reservoir in Tamil Nadu currently holds only about 20 TMC of water, which will last for approximately 10 days
The 'Karnataka Jala Samrakshana Samiti,' led by farmer leader Kuruburu Shanthakumar, has called for Bengaluru bandh on Tuesday to protest Karnataka's release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. Police authorities have not given permission for any kind of processions in the city. To maintain security, Bengaluru Police has imposed Section 144 of the CrPC from midnight Monday to midnight Tuesday and has not permitted processions in the city. The Bengaluru Police Commissioner emphasized that no one can forcefully implement the bandh by using force