The Supreme Court will hear on August 13 an application from Tamil Nadu for a direction to Karnataka to release 25.373 tmcft of water, the shortfall based on the distress water-sharing formula.
In its application, Tamil Nadu said this water year being a distress year due to a huge shortage in inflows, water had to be shared between the two States on pro rata basis.
“This year, Karnataka has resorted to summer irrigation from February to May and has utilised the storages and also the inflows during that period, which is clearly against the final order passed by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal. If the State of Karnataka had conserved the waters in their reservoirs and not resorted to summer irrigation, there would have been sufficient storage in their reservoirs and the distress faced due to the present failure of the monsoon could have been substantially mitigated and Tamil Nadu would not have been subjected to the serious difficulty.” Tamil Nadu said it had already filed an application for urgent orders for directing Karnataka to release water from its reservoirs without impounding all flows and for direction to convene the meeting of the Cauvery River Authority to approve the distress-sharing formula evolved by the Cauvery Monitoring Committee.”
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It said, “The actual shares of State have to be worked out in December by applying a flexible distress formula that considers various factors, including inflows, outflows, impact of North - East rainfall in Tamil Nadu and the available groundwater in the delta region.” It said, “Tamil Nadu has received only 3.604 tmcft as on August 8 in the Mettur reservoir, against the stipulated quantum of 64.706 tmcft and even on an application of the distress-sharing formula, Tamil Nadu ought to have received at least 28.978 tmcft at Mettur.”
Hence, Tamil Nadu sought directions to Karnataka to forthwith release the said quantum of 25.373 tmcft as per the order dated April 3, 1992 passed by the Tribunal.