The Supreme Court will hear a petition on Thursday, August 13, filed by the Tamil Nadu government seeking immediate legal directions to compel Karnataka to release its allocated share of Cauvery River water.
A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V. Mohana scheduled the hearing after legal counsel representing Tamil Nadu submitted that the state is experiencing water shortages amid deficient rainfall while receiving insufficient supply from neighboring Karnataka.
Tamil Nadu Claims Severe Supply Deficit
The state government, led by Chief Minister Joseph Vijay, filed its petition with the apex court on August 3 after recording daily water flows at the Biligundlu gauging station ranging between 158 cusecs and 550 cusecs from July 29 to August 2. Tamil Nadu officials stated these figures fell drastically short of the required volume.
The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) had directed Karnataka on July 28 to release 3,500 cusecs of water daily for 15 days starting July 29, a directive subsequently upheld by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA). However, Tamil Nadu contends that the 4.536 TMC allocated under the CWMA order is inadequate, arguing that recent rainfall in the Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) and Kabini catchment areas warrants a realization of 26.954 TMC at Biligundlu.
Reservoir Levels And Opposition Stand
State officials noted that Karnataka possesses sufficient water reserves to fulfill the demand, pointing to a combined storage of 77.537 TMC across the KRS, Kabini, Harangi, and Hemavathy reservoirs as of August 3.
In addition to the state government’s action, Tamil Nadu’s main opposition party, the DMK, filed a separate petition asking the top court to enforce Karnataka’s compliance with the landmark 2018 Supreme Court verdict and orders issued by the CWMA.
The DMK petition requests that Karnataka be mandated to deliver 3,500 cusecs daily at Biligundlu over 15 days, make up for shortfalls accumulated since July 29, and address an estimated 9.46 TMC backlog registered prior to July 26 by supplying 7,000 cusecs per day over 15 days. The party also requested that the court direct the CWMA to monitor daily water levels at Biligundlu and submit compliance reports.
Institutional Framework
The Centre established the CWMA in 2018 following the Supreme Court’s final ruling on the long-standing water sharing dispute among Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, and Puducherry. The authority comprises representatives from all four riparian territories alongside a nominee from the Union Government.
