An important meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, September 20, in Delhi to discuss the Cauvery water sharing row, projects in Karnataka which are waiting for the Union government's approval, and drought relief matters for the southern state. Union ministers, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs hailing from the state will participate in this crucial meeting. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar will also attend the meeting.

TB Jayachandra, Special Representative of the Karnataka government in Delhi, has been engaging in preliminary meetings which are being held at the Karnataka Bhavan. The meeting on Wednesday, to be chaired by Siddaramaiah, has been convened as the Prime Minister and all the union Ministers will be present in the national capital given the ongoing special session of the Parliament.

Deficient rainfall in the Cauvery catchment area has been raising concerns over possible escalation of the water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, which is a recurring issue during drought years in the region. As of August 16, the state is facing a rainfall deficit of 14%. In comparison to the normal rainfall of 57.3 cm for this period, Karnataka has received only 49.6 cm. Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government has approached the Supreme Court, urging immediate action from Karnataka in releasing 24,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs) of water.

Read: Why the Cauvery dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu is surfacing again