CWMA directs Karnataka to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu as per SC order

CHENNAI: Even as the State received 5 tmc of Cauvery water more than the stipulated quantity for July, the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) on Wednesday directed the Karnataka government to ensure the flow of water to Tamil Nadu as per the Supreme Court's order.

It also informed stakeholders that the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) would hold its next meeting on July 30 to fix the quantum of water to be released to the lower riparian states from Karnataka for August, as per the SC order.

"We have insisted that the CWMA guarantee that the Karnataka government should release water to Tamil Nadu as per the SC order for the forthcoming months. We also appealed to the authority to closely monitor the quantity of water released from Karnataka. Following this, the CWMA has taken a decision to hold the CWRC meeting on July 30," Additional Chief Secretary of Water Resources Department K Manivasan said, after attending the 32nd CWMA meeting in New Delhi. Chairman of the CWMA S M Haldar chaired the meeting which saw participation from Karnataka and Kerala officials.

Manivasan said that, unlike previous meetings, the representatives of the Karnataka government did not raise any objection to Tamil Nadu's rightful demands. "Since there is good rainfall in Karnataka, we are receiving a stipulated quantity of Cauvery water for July. But we are very particular about getting our due share of water for the coming months, as per the SC's fixed ratio," he stated.

Cauvery water: Tamil Nadu receives 5 tmc more than stipulated quantity for July

Since June 12, a total of 36.99 tmc of water has been received at the Mettur dam. It is 5 tmc of water more than the stipulated quantity (31.24 tmc) of water for the month.

At 8 am on Wednesday, the reservoir recorded an inflow of 60,771 cusecs of water and the water storage level 86.850 feet. However, the water inflow declined to 34,690 cusecs (cubic feet per second) at 4 pm but the live water storage went up to 87.720 feet as against the full reservoir level of 120 feet.

"We will seek the government's nod to release water for irrigation in the delta region once the water level in the Mettur dam breaches 90 feet," said a senior official in the Water Resources Department (WRD).

It may be recalled that Karnataka released only 81.47 tmc of water in the last water year (June 2023 to May 2024) as against the quantity prescribed by the SC order. The shortfall was 95.83 tmc and this forced the WRD to stop releasing water for irrigation in the delta region on October 9 last year, causing distress to lakhs of farmers who opted to grow Kuruvai ('short-term') crops.