Cauvery Water Dispute: SC To Hear Petitions From Karnataka, Tamil Nadu

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to constitute a panel for the purpose of addressing the Cauvery River water-sharing dispute case. The Tamil Nadu government is requesting new directives concerning the release of water.

Earlier, Tamil Nadu's Water Resources Minister, Duraimurugan, stated that the state had strongly presented its requirements. Despite this, Karnataka altered its stance, indicating their intention to release only 8,000 cusecs of water until August 22.

The minister mentioned that earlier, on August 10, during a meeting of the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee, it was unanimously decided that Karnataka would release 15,000 cusecs of water daily for 15 days.

"In light of this, the Tamil Nadu government is left with no alternative but to approach the Supreme Court. We will soon file a case in the apex court. Justice will prevail, and we are resolute in obtaining water under the leadership of Chief Minister MK Stalin," Minister Duraimurugan was quoted as saying by PTI.

The minister further added, as per the report, that the collective storage capacity of the four dams in Karnataka is 114.571 tmc ft, with a current storage of 93.535 tmc ft, which equates to approximately 82 percent.

Accusing Karnataka of lacking the willingness to share water with Tamil Nadu, Duraimurugan stated that this stance has persisted in the Karnataka government since the inception of the Cauvery dispute decades ago.

He remarked, "Karnataka appears indifferent even to the potential loss of standing crops (such as Kuruvai, a short-term paddy crop)."

Notably, the decision of the Tamil Nadu government comes shortly after CM Stalin wrote to PM Narendra Modi, urging his intervention to compel Karnataka to promptly release Cauvery water for Kuruvai cultivation.

"The Supreme Court has defined the share of water to be provided to Tamil Nadu at Billigundulu, following a monthly schedule. Regrettably, Karnataka is not upholding the said order in both words and spirit, and they are also not adhering to the directives of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA)," he said.