Cauvery Authority Rejects Karnataka Appeal, Orders Water Release to Tamil Nadu

The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), meeting in Delhi on Thursday, upheld the order of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) directing Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu for 15 days.

The CWMA, the apex body monitoring water release as per the Supreme Court's verdict, instructed Karnataka to comply with the CWRC's directive. The CWRC had initially ordered the release starting Wednesday, but Karnataka, facing severe drought, appealed to the CWMA. The authority, after review, reaffirmed the order.

Karnataka has decided to convene an all-party meeting in Bengaluru on Sunday to discuss the issue. Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, currently in Delhi for consultations on cabinet expansion, announced that former chief ministers, legislators, and MPs from the Cauvery basin would be invited to seek their advice.

Government sources indicated that the state will also consult legal experts on its next course of action. Karnataka is exploring all legal options amid growing unrest in the Cauvery basin, where farmers are protesting any water release. Farmers' organisations are already agitated over the state's decision to withhold irrigation water due to drought.

Karnataka is experiencing a rainfall deficiency of about 35% statewide, with Kodagu district—the major catchment area for the Cauvery—facing a deficit of 45%.

State government sources expressed concern that due to dry riverbed conditions, Karnataka may have to release nearly double the stipulated water to ensure the required quantum reaches the Biligundlu measuring gauge on the inter-state border. This could risk meeting the state's own drinking water needs.