Cauvery water regulation panel rejects Tamil Nadu's demand for backlog water release

New Delhi: The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) has rejected the Tamil Nadu government’s demand for the release of  5.317 tmcft Cauvery water from Karnataka in May. 

In the CWRC meeting on Tuesday, chaired by its chairman Vineet Gupta, Tamil Nadu said that Karnataka has continued with the violation of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal final order modified by the Supreme Court on releasing water to it. However, Karnataka maintained that it has been facing a severe water crisis and that the available water in its reservoirs would be sufficient only to meet the drinking water requirements.

The Tamil Nadu official pointed out that Karnataka had released 78.728 tmcft of water as against 174.497 tmcft of water between June 1, 2023 and April 28 this year. The shortfall was 95.770 tmcft of water, the official claimed. 

The Karnataka government had released 2.016 tmcft of water against the prescribed quantity of 7.333 tmcft from February 1 and April 28, Tamil Nadu claimed. 

Tamil Nadu, in the meeting, also demanded that the upper riparian state should release the shortfall of environmental flow to the tune of 5.317 tmcft in May. 

The CWRC, however noted low water storage in Cauvery basin reservoirs in all basin states. 

Water in Karnataka’s reservoirs was so low that it was difficult to maintain even the natural flow. Barely 150 cusec of water reaches the interstate point Biligundulu each day,  the Committee noted. 

The committee refused Tamil Nadu’s demand to direct the Karnataka government to ensure the release of the backlog of Cauvery water and maintain environmental flow as per the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) modified by the Supreme Court. 

As per CWDT, Karnataka needs to ensure environmental flows at Biligundulu by ensuring the release of around 1000 cusecs per day, ie. 2.5 tmcft from February to May.

The CWRC was of the view that available storage in the reservoirs in the Cauvery Basin in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala was sufficient enough to meet the requirement towards drinking water and environmental flows till the monsoon season starts.

The next meeting of CWRC is scheduled for May 16.