Karnataka's Cauvery Reservoirs at 52% as Water Authority Meets Amid Rainfall Deficit
The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), the apex body overseeing the implementation of the Supreme Court's verdict on water release to downstream states, is set to meet in Delhi on Wednesday to review the current situation.
The meeting gains significance as Karnataka's Cauvery basin catchment areas face a rainfall deficit. The entire state has recorded a 35% deficit, while the Kodagu region—the primary catchment and origin point of the Cauvery River—has experienced a 45% shortfall.
A deficit in Kodagu is likely to severely impact southern Karnataka, which relies heavily on Cauvery water.
Cumulative storage in Karnataka's four major Cauvery reservoirs—Harangi, Hemavati, Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS), and Kabini—stands at only 52% of their full capacity. The KRS reservoir is particularly low, at just 35% of capacity, with inflows of only 775 cubic feet per second on July 21.
The Karnataka government has declared that it will not release water for irrigation and will reserve stored water exclusively for drinking purposes.
The deficit rainfall and poor storage have hindered compliance with the Supreme Court's directive to release a stipulated quota of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. According to measurements at the Biligundlu gauge, Karnataka has released only 3.4 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of water to Tamil Nadu from June 1 to July 19, against the required 28.3 tmcft.
Karnataka Water Resources Minister Ramalinga Reddy told The Hindu, "In view of drought, we have decided to use the water stored in reservoirs of the Cauvery basin only for drinking water requirements."
Weather experts have expressed concern over the poor southwest monsoon, which accounts for nearly 75% of Karnataka's annual rainfall. They warn that continued deficits could lead to a crisis.
The Karnataka cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, recently decided to submit a memorandum to the central government within 15 days, seeking a drought declaration.
Wednesday's CWMA meeting follows a session of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC), which reviewed the issue. In its June 23 meeting, the CWMA had directed basin states to use available water judiciously, particularly for drinking water needs.
