Supreme Court orders Karnataka to comply with CWMA on Cauvery water release

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Karnataka government to comply with the directions of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) regarding the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. The order came during a hearing on a plea filed by Tamil Nadu seeking urgent intervention to secure its allocated share of water.

The court has scheduled the next hearing for August 24, when Tamil Nadu's plea will be taken up for detailed consideration. The bench also allowed the submission of an updated status report on the water released by Karnataka so far, which will be examined at the next hearing.

Tamil Nadu had moved the Supreme Court on August 3, stating that it was not receiving its rightful share of Cauvery water despite the state facing a rain-deficient year. The state government alleged that both the quantity recommended for release by the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) and the actual supply from Karnataka were significantly below its requirements.

According to Tamil Nadu, recent rainfall in the catchment areas of the Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) and Kabini reservoirs had improved the water availability, increasing the volume due to the state. The state government argued that the proportionate share due at Biligundlu, the key monitoring point on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border, should be 26.954 TMC (thousand million cubic feet).

At a meeting held on July 28, the CWRC had directed Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu for a period of 15 days starting from July 29. However, Tamil Nadu reported that the actual flow recorded at Biligundlu between July 29 and August 2 ranged from just 158 to 550 cusecs, far below the directed quantum.

The state government also highlighted the storage levels in Karnataka's four major reservoirs — Krishna Raja Sagara, Kabini, Harangi, and Hemavathy. As of August 3, the combined storage in these reservoirs stood at 77.537 TMC, according to a statement from the Tamil Nadu government. Tamil Nadu contended that such storage levels clearly indicated Karnataka's ability to release the state's due share without any difficulty.

The Cauvery water-sharing dispute is a long-standing inter-state issue, with decades of negotiations and legal battles. The CWMA and CWRC were constituted under the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, as modified by the Supreme Court in 2018, to manage the allocation and release of water. The current dispute underscores the continuing challenges in balancing the needs of both states, especially during periods of deficient rainfall.

The Supreme Court's directive to Karnataka to comply with the CWMA's directions is seen as a firm reminder of the legal obligations under the existing tribunal award. The next hearing on August 24 will be closely watched, as both states are expected to present detailed data on water availability, releases, and compliance.