The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) has issued an interim order to Karnataka directing the upper riparian state to release 5,000 cusecs of water daily for the next 15 days. The order, issued on Monday, August 28, mandates the additional release of 3,100 cusecs beyond the current 1,900 cusecs being released to Tamil Nadu. This will result in a total of 5,000 cusecs of water to be recorded at the Biligundlu measuring station.
However, media reports suggest that Karnataka intends to challenge this notice from the CWRC and present their case before the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), which is scheduled to convene in Delhi on August 29. This meeting holds the final authority to decide on the Cauvery dispute. During the meeting on August 28, Karnataka had proposed a reduction in the water release to Tamil Nadu to 3,000 cusecs, but this proposal was rejected by the CWRC.
The Supreme Court on Friday, August 25, refused to pass any interim direction on Tamil Nadu's plea for Cauvery water release from Karnataka dams. The Supreme Court, on August 25, declined to issue any interim directives. Instead, the court instructed CWMA to provide a report by September 1, confirming the compliance with the water discharge directions.
The Karnataka government argued in the Supreme Court that Tamil Nadu's demand for Cauvery water release is based on an erroneous assumption of a normal water year, disregarding the distressed water year conditions due to the southwest monsoon's failure. The State's Water Resources Department filed an affidavit stating that Karnataka is not obligated to meet the water quota of a normal year under the present distress in the Cauvery basin.
Since the new Congress government took office in Karnataka earlier this year, the proposition of constructing a dam at Mekedatu across the Cauvery river has been actively pursued. This move has raised concerns in Tamil Nadu. Karnataka's announcement of allocating Rs 8,000 crore for the Mekedatu dam's construction has exacerbated the tension between the two states. The DMK government in Tamil Nadu has firmly expressed its opposition to the construction of the Mekedatu dam, citing violations of the Cauvery water agreement.