The Supreme Court docket on Monday directed Karnataka to adjust to the instructions of the Cauvery Water Administration Authority (CWMA) on the discharge of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, whereas posting Tamil Nadu’s software to August 24. The Court docket additionally referred to as for a standing report from the authority.
A Bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta was listening to a plea filed by Tamil Nadu searching for implementation of the CWMA’s path requiring Karnataka to launch water.
Showing for Tamil Nadu, Senior Advocate CS Vaidyanathan informed the courtroom that Karnataka was not complying with the CWMA’s instructions and that the State was not receiving the water required for launch to farmers.
“As of this morning they’ve 76% reside storage within the reservoir,” the counsel submitted, arguing that Tamil Nadu had acquired solely 14 TMC in opposition to the 64 TMC it was entitled to beneath the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award. Even after accounting for the deficit in flows this yr, Tamil Nadu claimed that it ought to have acquired a proportionate 55.29%, leaving a backlog of about 20 TMC.
Senior Advocate Shyam Divan, showing for Karnataka, disputed the allegation of non-compliance and stated the State was going through “extraordinarily extreme misery” within the Cauvery basin. He stated the CWMA had itself taken the scenario under consideration whereas issuing its instructions.
Divan stated the primary CWMA path required Karnataka to make sure a launch of three,500 cusecs for 15 days, as much as August 11. In accordance with him, Karnataka had not solely met the requirement however had launched considerably extra water through the interval.
He additionally defined that water launched from the Krishna Raja Sagar reservoir takes about 48 hours to succeed in downstream places and that established protocols needed to be adopted earlier than sudden modifications could possibly be made to reservoir releases.
On the newest path requiring a circulate of 12,000 cusecs from August 12, Divan acknowledged that the circulate had been decrease through the first 4 to 5 days, at round 6,000 cusecs, however stated Karnataka anticipated to make up the shortfall within the following days.
He knowledgeable the courtroom that the circulate on Monday morning had risen to 12,607 cusecs and that the reservoir gates had been opened. Karnataka, he stated, would endeavour to keep up the CWMA-directed circulate of 12,000 cusecs regardless of the difficulties confronted by the State.
The Bench questioned Karnataka’s place on compliance with the 12,000-cusecs path and noticed that the matter needs to be reviewed after an extra interval.
The courtroom subsequently adjourned the matter for per week. In its order, the Bench directed Karnataka to make sure compliance with the CWMA instructions and ordered that the case be listed subsequent Monday in order that the newest standing of water releases could possibly be positioned earlier than the courtroom.
“Let this matter be posted after per week in order that additional standing relating to the discharge of water could be reported. Within the meantime, the respondent to make sure compliance of CWMA instructions,” the bench noticed.
The Court docket was listening to Tamil Nadu’s plea searching for instructions to Karnataka to adjust to the Cauvery Water Administration Authority’s (CWMA) choice on the discharge of Cauvery water.
The Tamil Nadu authorities moved the Supreme Court docket on August 3, searching for implementation of the CWMA’s July 30 choice directing the discharge of three,500 cusecs of water for 15 days.
Tamil Nadu has sought the discharge of 4.536 TMC of water, calculated on the price of three,500 cusecs per day for 15 days, on or earlier than August 12.
The State’s strategy to the Supreme Court docket comes amid the persevering with dispute over Cauvery water sharing. The CWMA’s choice required Karnataka to launch water from the Kabini and Krishna Raja Sagara reservoirs to satisfy Tamil Nadu’s necessities.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the opposition occasion within the State, has also filed the same software.
Case: MA 2445/2026 in C.A. No. 2453/2007 Diary No. 46527 / 2026 STATE OF TAMIL NADU Vs STATE OF KARNATAKA
