Karnataka government unlikely to release Cauvery water

BENGALURU: Karnataka is unlikely to carry out the Supreme Court's order on Tuesday to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu at the rate of 2,000 cusecs a day till July 11, as the river basin reservoirs are all at dead storage level.

A top government source told ET: "There is no water in the river basin. We don't want to offend the Supreme Court and say we won't release it. But there is no way to release it and if this results in consequences, we will have to face it."

Tamil Nadu has been pressing for its share of Cauvery water even as Karnataka has pointed to the deficit monsoon and returning monsoon in 2016. The state has currently declared 160 of its 176 taluks as drought-hit and is pleading with the Centre for drought-relief funds.

A threat of drinking water shortage is also looming large over Bengaluru and Mysuru cities, which, along with about 800 villages and 15 other cities/towns are totally dependent on the Cauvery. The Karnataka government recently diverted water from the Hemavathy reservoir, also deficit, to the main Krishnarajasagar dam to ensure that water supply is not stopped.