Direct Karnataka to release backlog of 17.604 tmcft Cauvery water: T.N. to Supreme Court

The Tamil Nadu government approached the Supreme Court on Sunday (August 30, 2026), seeking a direction to Karnataka to release 17.604 tmcft of water from the Cauvery River, the balance quantity as of August 27, based on the pro-rata formula.

The State, in a supplementary affidavit settled by senior advocate G. Umapathy and re-settled by C.S. Vaidyanathan, also urged the court to order Karnataka to release 9,000 cusecs of water between August 26 and September 8, as directed by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) in its 56th meeting.

It further sought the top court’s intervention to direct Karnataka to make good the shortfall between the flows ensured at Billigundulu, a riverside village on the border between the two States, and the flows that the CWMA had directed to take place between August 27 and August 30.

“Ground reality is that the Cauvery Basin of Tamil Nadu is very severely affected. The farmers of the Cauvery Delta are seriously prejudiced, as the Kuruvai season is almost over and Mettur could not be open for irrigation for want of adequate storage and cultivation of the samba crop and has been severely affected, which is causing great anxiety amongst the farming community in the Cauvery Delta as they are not getting the due share even on a pro-rata basis in the current water year,” Tamil Nadu submitted, in the affidavit filed by advocate B. Karunakaran.

A Bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath is scheduled to hear the Cauvery case on August 31.

The previous hearing on August 24 had witnessed the top court advising Tamil Nadu to voice its concern about the release of the “proportionate” quantity of Cauvery water due from Karnataka before the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) and the CWMA, in meetings scheduled during the week.

Tamil Nadu said that its member, in a CWRC meeting held on August 24, had raised the State’s entitlement to receive around 28 TMC. The member had asked the CWRC to facilitate the release of around 22,000 cusecs (1.9 TMC per day) for 15 days, starting from August 24.

The State had also submitted before the CWRC that Karnataka had already drawn over 20 TMC from its canals for irrigation and also through anicut channels and lift irrigation systems, while Tamil Nadu had till date not been able to open the Mettur reservoir for irrigation.

“However, CWRC directed Karnataka to ensure releases from its reservoirs so that the flows at the rate of 9,000 cusecs are realised at Billigundulu with effect from August 25 till September 8,” Tamil Nadu said.

It said that CWRC had fixed 9,000 cusecs for the next 15 days with effect from August 25, without considering the accumulated backlog of 17.415 TMC as of August 23.

Tamil Nadu said it had raised its grievance before the CWMA, at its meeting the very next day on August 25, about the “gross inadequacy” of the CWRC order for release of Cauvery water.

“However, CWMA, without considering the purport of the scheme framed under Section 6A of the Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956, which mandates pro-rata releases in the distress years, scrupulously failed to take any steps to direct Karnataka to make good the same. CWMA mechanically affirmed the recommendation of CWRC and directed Karnataka to ensure only 9,000 cusecs per day from August 25 to September 8,” the Tamil Nadu affidavit said.