The order has landed, the reservoirs are being counted, and Karnataka is mobilising every legal and political lever it has. The Chief Minister's Office of Karnataka announced on Friday, 31 July 2026 that the state has already appealed before the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) against a Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) directive to release 3,500 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu — and that no final decision will be taken until legal experts are consulted and opposition leaders are brought into confidence.

What the CWRC ordered — and what Karnataka argued back

The CWRC direction requires Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs per day to Tamil Nadu at Biligundlu, the inter-state border gauge point, amounting to 4.5 TMC over 15 days. Karnataka's Advocate General and Additional Chief Secretary appeared before the CWMA and argued for a reduced quantum and more time. Tamil Nadu, however, pushed back — demanding even higher releases. The CWRC ultimately ordered roughly half of Tamil Nadu's ask of 9.94 TMC, a detail the Karnataka government is citing as partial vindication of its position.

Critically, the state retained the same water-issue advisors who served under former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, ensuring continuity of Karnataka's technical and legal arguments across administrations. Those advisors participated in the CWMA hearing and presented the state's case.

Reservoir levels, inflows, and a 100-year low

Karnataka's government disclosed current storage levels across its four Cauvery basin reservoirs: Harangi at 95%, Kabini at 83%, Hemavathi at 67%, and KRS at 36%. Total inflow into the dam system stands at 25,000 cusecs — a recovery the government called 'satisfactory.' The state also noted that last year, over 400 TMC flowed into the sea against the mandated share of 177 TMC, owing to three consecutive years of good rainfall.

The sharpest number in the statement: Karnataka has released only 0.6 TMC to Tamil Nadu so far through July-end — described as the lowest in 100 years. The government clarified this was not water released from reservoirs but runoff from rains around Bengaluru, not a deliberate discharge. Similar CWRC distress-year orders were issued in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2023, placing the current directive in a recurring monsoon-season pattern.

All-party meeting, 36 MPs, and a postponed Tamil Nadu visit

Before filing the CWMA appeal, the government convened an all-party meeting of 36 Members of Parliament, including three Union ministers — Prahlad Joshi, V. Somanna, and Shobha Karandlaje. Copies of the appeal were sent to all three, and they have since applied pressure on the Union government. A further all-party meeting — bringing together all former Chief Ministers, Cauvery-region MLAs and MPs — has been called for Sunday. Prior to that, the legal team, senior ministers Dr G. Parameshwara and Ramalinga Reddy, and officials held internal consultations.

On the diplomatic front, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's Office had proposed a delegation visit to Karnataka on 3 August. Karnataka's government, citing the 'present atmosphere,' has requested the meeting be deferred by a few days, with a commitment to receive the delegation 'cordially and respectfully' once tensions ease.

On the August 13 bandh call

Addressing a bandh called for 13 August, the government — in the words attributed to Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar at a press conference at Vidhana Soudha — urged citizens not to proceed with it. The appeal was framed gently: the government is already on the people's side, a bandh will not yield relief from court-mandated orders, and public inconvenience should be avoided. The statement stopped short of threatening action against organisers, keeping the tone conciliatory.