The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Thursday, August 13, a plea moved by the Tamil Nadu government seeking directions to Karnataka to release its allocated share of Cauvery river water in accordance with directions issued by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).
The application has been filed amid a renewed dispute between the two neighbouring States over the release of water from the Cauvery basin. Tamil Nadu has approached the apex court alleging that Karnataka has failed to comply with the water-release directions issued by the competent Cauvery water management authorities.
According to the plea, Tamil Nadu has sought judicial intervention to ensure implementation of the decisions of the CWMA and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC), which govern the release of Cauvery water between the basin States.
The State has contended that the required quantum of water has not been released by Karnataka despite the directions of the Cauvery authorities. Tamil Nadu maintains that the shortfall has adversely affected its irrigation requirements, particularly at a time when water availability and rainfall conditions have become a matter of concern.
The application was instituted on August 3 on behalf of the Tamil Nadu government. The State has urged the Supreme Court to issue appropriate directions to Karnataka for compliance with the water-sharing mechanism governing the inter-State river.
The dispute once again brings into focus the continuing implementation of the Cauvery water-sharing framework. The Cauvery Water Management Authority and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee were constituted pursuant to the Supreme Court’s directions following the adjudication of the long-standing inter-State river water dispute.
The Cauvery dispute has historically involved competing claims by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over the utilisation and release of water, particularly during periods of deficient rainfall. Karnataka has, on earlier occasions, maintained that its own drinking water and irrigation requirements, along with the storage position in its reservoirs, must also be taken into account while determining the quantum of water to be released downstream.
The Supreme Court has previously considered challenges concerning directions issued by the CWRC and CWMA. In September 2023, the apex court declined to interfere with the authorities’ decision directing Karnataka to release 5,000 cusecs of water per day at Biligundulu for a specified period, observing that the expert bodies had considered relevant factors including rainfall, reservoir storage and the requirements of the respective States.
The present proceedings arise against the backdrop of Tamil Nadu’s assertion that Karnataka is required to honour the directions of the Cauvery authorities. The State is seeking enforcement of the existing water-sharing regime rather than a fresh adjudication of the underlying inter-State dispute.
Karnataka, on the other hand, is expected to oppose the plea and place before the Court its position concerning water availability, reservoir levels and the State’s own requirements.
The matter will therefore require the Supreme Court to examine the competing submissions concerning compliance with the directions of the statutory and regulatory authorities overseeing the Cauvery water-sharing mechanism.
The hearing on August 13 is expected to determine the immediate course of action on Tamil Nadu’s request for release of water and could have significant implications for irrigation and water management in both States.
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