Tamil Nadu Files Supreme Court Plea for Cauvery Water Release

Tamil Nadu has filed a plea in the Supreme Court seeking immediate directions for Karnataka to release its share of Cauvery water, escalating the long-running dispute between the two states. The matter is scheduled for hearing on August 17. The move follows a decision by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) on August 11, which upheld a recommendation for Karnataka to release 12,000 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu for 15 days starting August 12.

The CWMA's directive came after the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) revised its earlier order. On July 28, the CWRC had directed Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs daily for 15 days from July 29. Tamil Nadu alleged that Karnataka failed to comply with this initial order, with recorded flows at the Biligundlu monitoring point ranging between only 158 and 550 cusecs during that period. Following improved rainfall, the CWRC increased the recommended release to 12,000 cusecs on August 11, a decision the CWMA subsequently endorsed.

Karnataka has opposed the latest direction, citing deficient rainfall and limited reservoir storage. State officials reported that its four major Cauvery reservoirs held 77.746 TMC of water,...