[REVISION HISTORY]

Cauvery water dispute escalates to Supreme Court

Updated 19 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-27 07:51 UTC → 2026-10-11 07:47 UTC · added ~~removed~~

On September 1, 2026, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay officially opened the sluice gates of the Mettur Dam to support the 2026-27 Samba cultivation season. However, insufficient rainfall and declining reservoir levels—recorded at 47,809 TMC against a 93,470 TMC capacity—led to severe water scarcity. By late September, agricultural experts advised farmers to avoid Samba paddy cultivation, and significant drops in cultivation areas were reported in districts like Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur. The crisis has escalated into a legal dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu filed a plea in the Supreme Court of India, alleging a water supply shortfall of approximately 20 TMC, which has already resulted in the loss of early Kharif crops. In response, the Karnataka government, led by Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, stated that the state is facing a severe drought with declining rainfall and reduced reservoir inflows. Karnataka intends to appeal against directives from the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) to release between 4,000 and 6,000 cusecs of water. The Supreme Court has scheduled further hearings for October 12. By ~~late September,~~ October 11, the ~~water level at Mettur Dam had dropped to 80.52 feet. While approximately 12,400 cusecs are being released for irrigation, this rate is more than eight times~~ shortage has caused direct crop destruction in the ~~current inflow of 1,488 cusecs. P. Chinnadurai, president of~~ Thanjavur district. In areas such as Melattur and Ranganathapuram, farmers have begun ploughing withered samba paddy crops back into the ~~Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers Protection Association, stated~~ soil, with approximately 1,000 acres affected. Protesters attribute the ~~current release~~ crisis to inadequate storage at the Mettur reservoir, noting that water was released only after an 81-day interval. Furthermore, farmers reported that local groundwater is ~~“inadequate~~ unsuitable for ~~tail-end areas”~~ irrigation due to salinity. Affected cultivators are demanding government assessments and ~~called for 22,000 cusecs. Many canals remain dry as flow rates stay below carrying capacities, leaving an estimated 90 percent of farmers facing delays in sowing or transplanting until~~ financial compensation, threatening to lay siege to the ~~northeast monsoon begins.~~ District Collector’s office if demands are not met.

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