Supreme Court to Hear Tamil Nadu Plea on Cauvery Water Release on August 13

The Supreme Court will hear Tamil Nadu’s request for immediate directions to Karnataka to release its designated share of Cauvery water on August 13.

The matter was brought before a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohan on Monday. Counsel representing Tamil Nadu informed the bench that the state was receiving significantly less water than its full entitlement amid conditions of deficient rainfall. Following the submission, the bench agreed to list the matter for hearing on Thursday.

Tamil Nadu officially moved the apex court on August 3, alleging that Karnataka had failed to release water in accordance with the mandatory quantities recommended by the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) and subsequently approved by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).

At its meeting held on July 28, the CWRC had directed Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu for a period of 15 days starting from July 29. The CWMA endorsed this directive shortly after on July 30.

However, Tamil Nadu alleged in its plea that actual water flows measured at Biligundlu remained far below the prescribed levels during the specified timeframe. The state noted that recorded flows at Biligundlu ranged only between 158 cusecs and 550 cusecs from July 29 to August 2.

Highlighting reservoir levels, Tamil Nadu stated that Karnataka’s four major Cauvery basin reservoirs held a combined volume of 77.537 TMC of water as of August 3. Based on these storage figures, the state argued that Karnataka is in a position to release its proportionate share of water without subjecting its own region to serious water shortages.

In addition to the state government's petition, the DMK has also approached the Supreme Court. The party is seeking full compliance with the 2018 Cauvery judgment, financial compensation for accrued shortfalls, and the implementation of daily monitoring of water releases at Biligundlu.