Cauvery water not released despite orders, Vijay government moves SC
What's the story
The Tamil Nadu government has moved the Supreme Court against Karnataka for not releasing Cauvery water. The state accused its neighbor of violating orders from the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC). The petition was filed on Monday under instructions from Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay after Karnataka allegedly failed to release the required amount of water despite repeated directives.
Directive issued
CWRC directed Karnataka to release water
Last week, the CWRC had directed Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water per second at Biligundlu for 15 days from July 29 to August 12 after reviewing the hydrological and meteorological conditions in the Cauvery basin.
The decision was reaffirmed by the CWMA during an emergency meeting on July 30 after reviewing water availability and rainfall conditions.
Non-compliance alleged
Tamil Nadu claims inflow was only between 158-550 cusecs
However, Tamil Nadu has claimed that Karnataka did not comply with this order.
The state said the inflow at Biligundlu between July 29 and August 2 was only between 158 and 550 cusecs, far below the 3,500 cusecs ordered by the CWMA.
Tamil Nadu argued that there was no practical difficulty in releasing its rightful share on a proportional basis, pointing to heavy rainfall in the catchment areas of the KRS and Kabini reservoirs.
Water availability
Tamil Nadu claims Karnataka has enough water in reservoirs
As of August 3, the Krishnaraja Sagar reservoir (KSR) had 23.078 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water, Kabini 18.610 TMC, Harangi 7.827 TMC, and Hemavathi 28.022 TMC.
The total storage in these four reservoirs was 77.537 TMC, including 67.517 TMC of usable water.
Karnataka, therefore, faces no difficulty in releasing Tamil Nadu's due share of water on a proportionate basis, the Vijay government argued.
Karnataka
Tamil Nadu claimed it's entitled to receive 26.954 TMC water
Tamil Nadu also claimed it was entitled to receive 26.954 TMC of water at Biligundlu pointing out the increased rainfall in the catchment areas of the KSR and Kabini reservoirs.
This is significantly more than the 4.536 TMC directed by the CWMA for this period.
The state has filed a petition before the Supreme Court seeking directions to resolve the issue and ensure that Tamil Nadu receives its rightful share of Cauvery water within the stipulated time.