The Tamil Nadu government on August 14 moved the Supreme Court seeking a direction to Karnataka to forthwith release 24,000 cusecs of Cauvery water from its reservoirs, at Biligundlu for the remaining period of the month, starting from August 14.
The State said the release of water is a dire necessity to meet the pressing demands of the standing crops.
A water measuring station, set up by the Central Water Commission at Biligundlu in Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu, records the Cauvery inflows into the State.
Tamil Nadu urged the court to direct Karnataka to ensure the stipulated releases for the month of September 2023 (36.76 tmc ft) as per the Cauvery Tribunal award as modified by the Supreme Court in 2018.
The State said Karnataka should make good the shortfall of 28.849 tmc ft water during the current irrigation year for the period from June 1 to July 31.
It asked the court to direct the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to ensure that the directions issued to Karnataka to release water to Tamil Nadu were “fully implemented and the stipulated monthly releases during the remaining period of the current water year are fully given effect to by the State of Karnataka”.
Tamil Nadu said that Karnataka had to ensure to make good the deficit in water supply from Biligundlu as on August 9, which was 37.971 tmc ft in addition to the demand of around 24,000 cusecs, in the month of August.
A direction was given to Karnataka on August 10 to release from its reservoirs 15,000 cusecs at Biligundlu on August 11 for 15 days.
“Unfortunately, even this quantum of water was arbitrarily reduced to 10,000 cusecs by the CWMA in its 22nd meeting held on August 11 at the instance of Karnataka. Regretfully, even this amount of 10,000 cusecs to be ensured at Biligundlu by releasing such quantum of water from the KRS and Kabini reservoirs has not been complied with by Karnataka,” the Tamil Nadu application said.
