CWRC orders Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs to Tamil Nadu; state may appeal

Bengaluru: The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) on Tuesday directed Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu for 15 days from July 29, equivalent to about 4 tmc ft.

The Karnataka government is expected to challenge the order before the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), arguing that acute water scarcity and poor reservoir inflows leave little room to release additional water. The directive has sparked resistance in Mandya, Mysuru and Bengaluru.

The CWRC based its decision on the live storage available in reservoirs in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and the anticipated worsening of El Niño conditions.


At the meeting, Karnataka officials said cumulative inflows into the state's four Cauvery reservoirs between June 1 and July 27 were 65.86% below the 30-year average. They told the committee that existing storage was barely sufficient to meet drinking water requirements and that the state could not release water beyond essential domestic needs.

Tamil Nadu disputed Karnataka's position, saying net inflows into Karnataka's reservoirs stood at 36.690 tmc ft against the 30-year average of 99.018 tmc ft, or 37.05% of normal. It also said the flow at Biligundlu up to July 26 was only 3.543 tmc ft against the prescribed 35.391 tmc ft and claimed a backlog of 9.46 tmc ft in its pro-rata share.

Officials in Bengaluru said Karnataka may have to release 6,000-7,000 cusecs from the KRS and Kabini reservoirs to ensure the mandated flow of 3,500 cusecs at Biligundlu because of transmission losses caused by dry riverbeds, depleted groundwater and low soil moisture.

The state plans to contest the CWRC order before the CWMA, citing the severe rainfall deficit across the Cauvery basin, critically low reservoir storage, declining groundwater levels and the need to prioritise drinking water supplies.