Bengaluru/Hassan: Karnataka has decided to appeal before the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) against the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) directive ordering the release of 3,500 cusecs of Cauvery water per day to Tamil Nadu for 15 days, citing low reservoir levels and a severe rainfall deficit.
Speaking in Hassan, Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy termed the CWRC’s directive “unscientific” and said Karnataka was facing drought-like conditions in several regions. He argued that the state’s reservoirs had not received adequate inflows and that ensuring drinking water for Karnataka’s residents and farmers should remain the government’s top priority.
Meanwhile, Water Resources Minister Ramalinga Reddy chaired an emergency meeting in Bengaluru with irrigation department officials and legal experts. Following the meeting, he announced that the state government had decided to challenge the CWRC’s order before the CWMA.
According to the minister, the Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) reservoir currently holds around 46 TMC of water, of which nearly 12 TMC must be reserved to meet the drinking water requirements of 10 districts. He added that Karnataka has recorded a 66% monsoon deficit, making it difficult to comply with the CWRC’s directive.
Farmers in Mandya, Mysuru, Hassan, Bengaluru and Kolar, who depend on Cauvery waters for irrigation, have also opposed the order and warned of protests if water is released. The state government said it would place the prevailing water situation before the CWMA while seeking relief from the release order.