Karnataka to challenge CWRC order on Cauvery water release to Tamil Nadu

Bengaluru: Karnataka will challenge the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee's (CWRC) directive to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said on Wednesday.

The state will move the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) against the CWRC's order directing Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu for 15 days from July 29, equivalent to about 4 tmc ft.

"Rain Gods have not been kind to us this time," Shivakumar told reporters in Delhi. He said the state had discussed its legal options with Water Resources Minister Ramalinga Reddy and legal experts before deciding to challenge the order.


The CM noted that the CWRC had rejected Tamil Nadu's request on two earlier occasions but had now directed Karnataka to release water.

The order has sparked protests across the Cauvery basin, including in Mandya, Mysuru and Bengaluru.

Union Heavy Industries Minister HD Kumaraswamy criticised the CWRC's decision, calling it "unscientific" and a "death warrant" for Karnataka. Kumaraswamy, who represents Mandya in the Lok Sabha, said the entire state must unite to oppose the directive.

Karnataka was struggling to meet the water needs of its own farmers and said ensuring adequate drinking water for the state's residents must remain the government's top priority, he said.

According to Karnataka government officials, cumulative inflows into the state's four Cauvery reservoirs between June 1 and July 27 were 65.86% below the 30-year average. They said the current storage was barely sufficient to meet drinking water requirements.

Officials also said Karnataka may have to release 6,000-7,000 cusecs from the Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) and Kabini reservoirs to ensure the mandated flow of 3,500 cusecs at Biligundlu, as transmission losses through dry riverbeds, depleted groundwater and low soil moisture would reduce the actual flow reaching the interstate measurement point.