Cauvery water row: Karnataka govt to move Supreme Court, says DK Shivakumar

BENGALURU: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has said his government would approach the Supreme Court to challenge the order of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), asking Karnataka to continue releasing 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu for another 15 days.

"We are thinking about whether Cauvery Water should be released or not; we are appealing to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, and then a decision will be taken," he said, adding that "the state will strongly argue their case and request the top court to send a team to both states to review the situation and then pass a verdict."

Shivakumar's remarks came after the Cauvery Water Management Committee on Monday asked the Karnataka government that 5,000 cusecs of water be released every day to Tamil Nadu for 15 days.

CWMA reiterated the decision of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee, following its meeting in Delhi on Monday.

The next meeting of the Authority is scheduled to be held on September 26. Shivakumar said that soon a delegation of MPs led by chief minister Siddaramaiah will be visiting the national capital to meet with the Union Jal Shakti Minister to address the Cauvery dispute.

"We had less rain than usual in the last two months. The CWMC ordered to release 5,000 cusecs of water, but only 2 to 3 thousand cusecs reach here," said Karnataka's deputy CM. He also claimed the state government had written twice to the Prime Minister on this issue, but "they were still awaiting a response." He mentioned that legal experts have suggested that filing a petition in the Supreme Court without releasing the water would be considered a violation of the order of the CWMC.

"We will be thinking about solving this problem," he added. Meanwhile, farmers in Mandya on Monday staged sit-in protest and blocked roads in protest against the order of CWMA.

The governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have been locked in a protracted tussle over the sharing of Cauvery waters. The river is seen as a major source of sustenance for the people in both the states. Karnataka has cited severe drought in parts of its state to refuse supply of water to Tamil Nadu.

On the other hand, the Tamil Nadu government has accused its neighbour of lying to the nation on the supply of water. The Centre formed the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) on June 2, 1990, to adjudicate disputes between Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Puducherry with respect to their individual water-sharing capacities.