SC asks Karnataka to comply with Cauvery Water release order
The Supreme Court on Monday, August 17, directed the Karnataka government to ensure compliance with the Cauvery Water Management Authority's (CWMA) order on releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, as the two states clashed over whether the directive was being followed.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was hearing a Tamil Nadu government plea seeking immediate release of water after the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) had directed Karnataka to release 12,000 cusecs daily for 15 days from August 12, a decision later upheld by the CWMA.
Tamil Nadu told the court the CWMA order was not being complied with, while Karnataka called the picture being presented "extremely incorrect."
The bench said the matter would be posted for further hearing on August 24 so that an updated status on the release could be placed before it, and directed Karnataka to ensure compliance with the CWMA's directions.
Senior advocate C S Vaidyanathan, appearing for Tamil Nadu, told the bench that Karnataka had begun releasing water for its own irrigation needs while Tamil Nadu received little, even though Karnataka's reservoirs held 76 per cent live storage. The bench then asked Karnataka why it was not releasing the water.
Senior advocate Shyam Divan, representing Karnataka, said the state was going through a severe distress year and that a mechanism existed to balance releases accordingly. He said the Cauvery basin faced an enormous deficit and that the CWMA was aware of the situation and had issued directions to address it.
Divan said Karnataka had earlier been required to release 3,500 cusecs daily for 15 days till August 11, followed by the current direction of 12,000 cusecs daily from August 12, and placed related data before the bench.
He acknowledged that releasing 12,000 cusecs was difficult but said instructions had been issued to maintain the level, adding that flows were low in the first three to four days but would be made up in the coming days.
Tamil Nadu had earlier said it was not receiving its due share of Cauvery water in a rain-deficient year and approached the Supreme Court on August 3 seeking directions for immediate release, arguing that the quantum allocated by the CWRC and released by Karnataka was far less than required.
According to the state government, a CWRC meeting on July 28 had directed Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs daily for 15 days from July 29, but actual releases at Biligundlu ranged between 158 and 550 cusecs between July 29 and August 2.
A Tamil Nadu government press release said combined storage as of August 3 in Karnataka's KRS, Kabini, Harangi and Hemavathy reservoirs stood at 77.537 TMC (thousand million cubic feet), and that Karnataka would face no difficulty releasing Tamil Nadu's proportionate share.
Following recent rains in the KRS and Kabini catchment areas, the state said its due share at Biligundlu should be 26.954 TMC, calling the CWMA's allocation of 4.536 TMC "very less." The release said Karnataka had failed to share the full 26.954 TMC due to Tamil Nadu.
(Inputs from PTI)
