The Tamil Nadu government on Monday, 3 August moved the Supreme Court seeking directions to Karnataka to immediately release 26.954 tmcft of Cauvery water, alleging that the neighbouring state has failed to comply with orders issued by the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) and the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA). The petition puts the two southern states back on a collision course over one of India's most contested inter-state river disputes.

What the Regulatory Bodies Directed

According to the petition, the CWRC, at its 139th meeting held on 28 July, reviewed hydrological and meteorological conditions across the Cauvery basin and directed Karnataka to ensure a flow of 3,500 cusecs at Biligundlu for 15 days, from 29 July to 12 August. The committee specifically instructed Karnataka to regulate releases from the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) and Kabini reservoirs to maintain the stipulated flow. The CWMA subsequently endorsed this recommendation at its 54th emergency meeting on 30 July.

Karnataka's Reservoir Levels and Tamil Nadu's Case

Tamil Nadu contended that despite these directives, the quantity of water actually received at Biligundlu after the order was far below its rightful share. The state submitted that as of 3 August, Karnataka's four major Cauvery basin reservoirs together held 77.537 tmcft of water — with KRS at 23.078 tmcft, Kabini at 18.610 tmcft, Harangi at 7.827 tmcft, and Hemavathi at 28.022 tmcft. Total utilisable storage was stated to be 67.517 tmcft.

Tamil Nadu further argued that heavy rainfall recorded in the catchment areas of the KRS and Kabini reservoirs had significantly improved inflows, leaving Karnataka with no reasonable grounds to withhold releases.

Why Tamil Nadu Calls CWMA Order 'Grossly Inadequate'

The state argued that based on prevailing hydrological conditions and the prescribed sharing formula, its due share amounts to 26.954 tmcft at Biligundlu. By contrast, the release directed by the CWMA — 3,500 cusecs for 15 days — would translate to only approximately 4.536 tmcft, which Tamil Nadu described as grossly inadequate. The gap between what the formula prescribes and what has been directed underlines the core of the dispute before the apex court.

What Tamil Nadu Has Sought

In its petition, Tamil Nadu urged the Supreme Court to issue appropriate directions compelling Karnataka to immediately release the full 26.954 tmcft and ensure strict compliance with all standing orders of the CWMA and CWRC. The matter is likely to be taken up for hearing in the coming days, with both states expected to present their positions before the bench.

This is not the first time the two states have clashed before the Supreme Court over Cauvery flows — the river's allocation has been a flashpoint for decades, with the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal having issued its final award in 2007, later modified by the Supreme Court in 2018. The current petition signals that even with institutional mechanisms in place, seasonal shortfalls continue to push the dispute back into judicial territory.