Follow directive on release of Cauvery water to TN, says panel; K'taka to challenge order in SC

A top panel mandated to oversee sharing of water between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on Friday asked the former to follow directions issued earlier by a regulatory body to release water to its neighbour from the Cauvery basin, deepening a major discord between the two southern states, a person familiar with the matter said.

- Zia Haq

In a meeting held in Delhi to resolve a logjam that has sparked tensions in the two states, the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) upheld the regulatory committee’s directions to Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs [cubic feet per second] of water to Tamil Nadu from September 28 to October 15.

Karnataka must follow a September 26 directive by the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee (CWRC) to release the required water to Tamil Nadu, the authority ruled. The mandate of providing 3,000 cusecs water to Tamil Nadu for an 18-day period took effect on September 28, the day on which its earlier mandate to Karnataka to release 5,000 cusecs for a 15-day period ended.

Karnataka, however, did not comply with the directions, citing severe water scarcity in the state. Reports in recent days, citing India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, have said that districts in the Cauvery catchment area have registered a rain deficit of at least 32%.