Deficient rainfall in the Cauvery catchment area is once again raising concerns over possible escalation of the water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. This clash over water resources is a recurring issue during drought years in the region. The situation has reached a point where the Karnataka government has advised farmers in the Cauvery basin to halt their sowing activities as it is felt that there was not adequate water storage needed for irrigation, even though there was substantial rainfall in July. With the DMK and Congress being political allies, the state governments are trying to keep tempers down. However, with the BJP questioning the Karnataka government and farmers protesting in a few districts, the situation is becoming trickier for the Congress.
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. While north interior Karnataka has seen normal levels of rainfall, the scenario differs in coastal Karnataka, where the received rainfall of 216.6 cm has fallen short of the expected 249 cm. Similarly, south interior Karnataka has received 34.6 cm of rainfall against the anticipated 44.8 cm.
On August 14, the Tamil Nadu government turned to the Supreme Court, urging immediate action from Karnataka. They asked for the release of 24,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs) of water from Karnataka's reservoirs, and for a guaranteed water supply at Biligundlu on the inter-state border for the rest of the month. They also sought the Court's intervention to ensure Karnataka's compliance with the release of 36.76 TMC of water for September 2023, as stipulated by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal's (CWDT) final award from February 2007, later modified by the Supreme Court in 2018.
The 2018 Supreme Court ruling allotted 419 TMC of the total 740 TMC of Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu, with 270 TMC allocated to Karnataka, 30 TMC to Kerala, 7 TMC to Puducherry, and 10 TMC for environmental protection.
A day after the Tamil Nadu government moved the Supreme Court, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who is also Minister for Major and Minor Irrigation, said that direction had been given to release around 10 TMC water. He wanted the two neighbouring states to work together to support the farmers and avoid distress. He also said that Tamil Nadu should not have gone to the Supreme Court over release of Cauvery River water.
"It's the duty of the government to help farmers on both sides of the border. I request Tamil Nadu to work with us. We don't want their farmers in distress, you (TN) too don't put our farmers in distress," he told reporters.
However, the move to release a modest amount of water prompted protests from farmers in Srirangapatna, Mandya district, who demanded an immediate halt to water release on August 16. They said that if the government did not stop the release of water immediately then they would intensify their agitation. Farmers, associated with the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, had also protested on July 19 by blocking the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway, seeking water release to the Visvesvaraya canal, crucial for irrigation in Mandya and Mysuru districts.
The BJP has criticised the ruling party's decision to release water, with former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai penning a letter to Siddaramaiah on August 14, emphasising the state's water shortage. Bommai claimed that Karnataka hadn't contested Tamil Nadu's excessive water usage, amounting to 60 TMC instead of the allocated 32 TMC. He also noted the lack of consultation with the Cauvery Water Management Authority, deeming it a betrayal of Karnataka farmers.
He alleged that as per the provisions in CWDT, Tamil Nadu could grow 1.80 lakh acres of Kuruvai crop and utilise 32 TMC water, but Tamil Nadu by August 7 had utilised 60.97 TMC water for Kuruvai crop which was double the quantity stipulated by the CWDT. Bommai said that without taking into consideration the water shortage in the Cauvery river catchment area, the Congress government had provided four times more water than stipulated for the Kuruvai crop.
Responding, Shivakumar defended Karnataka's actions and felt the situation was far too complex to trade charges. He highlighted that the control of the KRS dam lay with the Union government. “We do not have control over the KRS dam; that authority rests with the Union government. Isn't Bommai aware of this? Politics should not be done everywhere. Although Tamil Nadu has requested 27 tmc of water, we have not yet met this demand. If we behave as per our wishes we might have to face the court. Tamil Nadu recently boycotted the Cauvery Tribunal meeting. Is it possible to continue this conflict forever,” Shivakumar wondered.
A similar situation had arisen in 2016 between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, leading to massive protests across Karnataka. Violence erupted in Bengaluru, Mandya, Mysuru and other parts of the state, which left two people dead and imposition of curfew in Bengaluru.