Karnataka Cauvery water appeal to be heard by Supreme Court on Sep 14

The Supreme Court of India is scheduled to hear Karnataka’s appeal regarding the release of Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu on September 14. The state is challenging a direction from the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), which upheld a recommendation to ensure a daily flow of 6,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu for a 15-day period.

Karnataka Water Resources Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy stated that the state government was advised by legal experts to continue releasing water until the hearing to avoid jeopardizing their petition by violating existing orders. The minister noted that Karnataka is currently facing a severe water shortage and has released the lowest quantity of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu in the last 20 years.

Despite the shortage, the government expressed its commitment to the constitutional framework of federalism and the protection of farmers' interests. Officials are currently using a rotational system to supply water to crops and are working to ensure adequate reserves in major reservoirs for drinking water needs from December to June.