Cauvery Water Dispute: Karnataka Cites Rain for Releases, Tamil Nadu Demands More

The long-standing Cauvery water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu returned to the Supreme Court on Thursday, with both states presenting contrasting accounts of recent water releases. Karnataka argued that its compliance with the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s (CWMA) directive was aided by unexpectedly good rainfall, while Tamil Nadu contended that the releases were not voluntary and demanded additional water.

Karnataka, represented by senior advocate Mohan V. Katarki, told the court that despite a distress year and worsening El Niño conditions, the state managed to release 3,500 cusecs of water daily at the inter-State border at Biligundlu, as directed by the CWMA. The state attributed this to large inflows into the Kabini reservoir from good rainfall in the Wayanad region of Kerala, which lies upstream of the Kabini catchment. “The releases from the KRS and Kabini reservoirs have already been reflected at the inter-State border at Biligundlu,” Katarki said, adding that from July 29 to August 10, Karnataka released 1,64,080 cusecs from its reservoirs, with flows reaching the border after a time lag of two days.

Karnataka further noted that from July 29 to August 10, it ensured 86,797 cusecs at Biligundlu, exceeding the 45,500 cusecs expected under the 9th recommendation of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC), which the CWMA had upheld. The state maintained that the CWMA’s decision was “undoubtedly complied with.”

Tamil Nadu, however, rejected this characterization. In an additional affidavit filed on Thursday, the state argued that Karnataka’s releases were “never voluntary compliance.” Senior advocate G. Umapathy, representing Tamil Nadu, pointed to reservoir storage data to support this claim. The KRS reservoir’s storage increased from 17.039 TMC on July 28 to 30.904 TMC on August 11, against its full capacity of 18.716 TMC. The Harangi reservoir is 97.13% full, and the Hemavathy reservoir is 86.69% full. Tamil Nadu argued that Karnataka did not release water to the state until its reservoirs were nearly full, suggesting that the water was released only due to spillage.

“Thus, it is seen that Karnataka did not release water till its Kabini reservoir was nearly full,” Umapathy said. Tamil Nadu also stated that only 19.49% of the allocated Cauvery water has been realised from Karnataka, flagging a substantial backlog of 21.357 TMC by August 12. The state further said the quantity due on a pro rata basis from August 12 to August 31 was 37 TMC.

The CWMA, however, has directed Karnataka to supply only 15.552 TMC from August 12 for a period of 15 days. Tamil Nadu has sought the court’s direction for Karnataka to release the balance quantity of 21.357 TMC due as of August 12, as well as the 37 TMC due for the rest of August.

The dispute over the Cauvery river, shared by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry, has a long and complex history. The Supreme Court and statutory bodies such as the CWMA and CWRC have been overseeing the allocation of water based on monsoon patterns and reservoir levels. The current hearing reflects the ongoing tension between the states, particularly during periods of water stress. The court is expected to hear further arguments in the coming days.