Karnataka eyes full compliance with Cauvery release order by Friday

Bengaluru: Karnataka is expected to fully comply with the Cauvery Water Management Authority's (CWMA) direction to release 3,500 cusecs of water a day to Tamil Nadu by the morning of August 7, as inflows into the Cauvery basin reservoirs have improved following recent rainfall, Water Resources Minister Ramalinga Reddy said.

The state had initially opposed the release, citing acute hydrological distress and a sharp rainfall deficit. However, improved inflows into key reservoirs over the past few days have enabled the government to step up releases to TN.

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Speaking to ET, Reddy said that at 8 am on Tuesday, 16,527 cusecs of water was flowing into TN at Biligundlu, the interstate measuring point on the Karnataka-TN border. Another 1,409 cusecs had flowed between August 2 and August 3, taking the cumulative release to 17,936 cusecs as of Tuesday morning.

The government expects about 18,000 cusecs to flow into TN by Wednesday morning and another 10,000-12,000 cusecs by Thursday. "By Friday morning, Karnataka would have fully complied with the CWMA's direction," the minister said.

At 6 pm on Tuesday, the combined inflow into the Harangi, Hemavathi, Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) and Kabini reservoirs stood at 55,668 cusecs, while the combined outflow was 26,549 cusecs, Reddy said.

Rainfall improves storage

The CWMA last week upheld the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee's (CWRC) directive requiring Karnataka to ensure a daily flow of 3,500 cusecs at Biligundlu for 15 days from July 29, despite the state's plea that it was facing severe hydrological distress.

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The order triggered protests across Karnataka and prompted the state government to convene an all-party meeting. Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had maintained that Karnataka would protect its interests while abiding by the legal framework governing the Cauvery water-sharing arrangement.

Reddy said the situation had improved after recent rainfall, with the Kabini reservoir reaching full capacity, while the KRS reservoir was also receiving healthy inflows.

Despite the improvement, the CM has cautioned that the drought threat has not fully receded. Karnataka has received only about 35% of its normal monsoon rainfall so far this season.

The rainfall deficit had sharply curtailed releases to TN earlier this year. Karnataka released about 2.9 tmc ft of water in June and about 0.72 tmc ft in July, compared with about 9.19 tmc ft in June and 31 tmc ft in July, during the corresponding months last year. Against the expected release of about 40 tmc ft by the end of July, the state had managed to release only about 3.6 tmc ft because of the severe shortage.