Cauvery river dispute: Tamil Nadu moves Supreme Court to secure water share

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Government on Monday approached the Supreme Court regarding the ongoing Cauvery water dispute with neighbouring Karnataka, contending that the water allocated by the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) as well as the actual volume released by its neighbour fell short of its legitimate share.

According to an official state release, the legal petition was filed in the apex court following directives from Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, who reviewed the situation after discussions with senior advocates.

Mismatch in storage and release figures

The release noted that as of August 3, the combined storage capacity across Karnataka’s primary reservoirs, Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS), Kabini, Harangi and Hemavathy, stood at 77.537 TMC. Given this storage level, Karnataka would encounter no hardship in releasing Tamil Nadu's proportional allocation.

Following recent heavy rainfall in the catchment areas of the KRS and Kabini reservoirs, the proportionate volume of water to be received at Biligundlu ought to be 26.954 TMC.

“Accordingly, the Cauvery Water Management Authority order allocating 4.536 TMC is very less,” the official statement noted.

Legal action initiated

The Tamil Nadu Government asserted that Karnataka has “failed” to provide its full allocation of 26.954 TMC. This prompted Chief Minister Vijay to instruct officials to seek intervention from the top court on the advice of legal experts to secure a “due order”.

“On the direction of the Chief Minister, to find a solution to this issue and get Tamil Nadu's due share of water on time, a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court,” the release stated.