Bengaluru: On Friday, Karnataka announced its inability to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, despite the directive from the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee (CWRC) to release one tmcft of water daily until July 31. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has convened an all-party meeting on Sunday to decide the next steps.
At a press conference following an emergency meeting, Siddaramaiah revealed that the state will petition the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) against the CWRC’s directive. He noted that Karnataka had not received the anticipated rainfall as forecasted by the India Meteorological Department, resulting in a 28 percent deficit in the inflows to the four dams in the Cauvery River basin.
“We had communicated to the CWRC to avoid directing us to release water to Tamil Nadu, but our request was ignored,” Siddaramaiah stated.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, also the water resources minister, quantified the 28 percent deficit as equivalent to 19 tmcft. He pointed out that fulfilling the CWRC’s directive would require Karnataka to release approximately 20 tmcft by the end of July.
Shivakumar reported the current water storage levels: Harangi dam at 73 percent, Hemavathi at 55 percent, Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) at 54 percent, and Kabini at 96 percent. Discussions with legal experts Shyam Dewan and Mohan Katarki have been conducted to strategize the state’s response, with their suggestions to be presented at the upcoming all-party meeting.
Siddaramaiah also mentioned that about 5,000 cusecs of water are being released from Kabini to Tamil Nadu for safety reasons, as the dam approaches full capacity. “With only 60 tmcft of water available across all four reservoirs and the rainfall shortfall, we requested a delay in water release until the end of July,” he explained.