Bengaluru: Karnataka is considering legal action against a Cauvery Water Management Authority directive to release 6,000 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu for 15 days.
The order has come as Karnataka grapples with reduced inflows into its Cauvery reservoirs. The state government had requested that the release be brought down to 2,000 cusecs from 9,000 cusecs, citing the decline in inflows and the need to safeguard drinking water supplies.
However, the Karnataka government’s request was rejected. Tamil Nadu had, meanwhile, pressed for additional water.
Agriculture and District In-charge Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy expressed strong opposition to the decision and said the state could not accept the order under the prevailing circumstances.
“The situation in Karnataka is extremely difficult. The inflow into our reservoirs has been falling since last week. Releasing 6,000 cusecs is not possible,” Cheluvarayaswamy said.
He said authorities in Delhi could not fully understand the ground-level situation and the drinking water concerns confronting people in Karnataka.
The minister said the government would first discuss the CWMA decision with Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. It would then seek the opinion of the Advocate General and other legal experts.
A decision on filing an appeal before the Supreme Court could be taken after these consultations, he said.
The latest development is expected to trigger renewed political and legal debate in Karnataka, with the state government under pressure to balance its obligations under the Cauvery water-sharing framework with its own drinking water needs.
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