Karnataka does not have adequate Cauvery water to release to Tamil Nadu this year, Large and Medium Industries Minister M.B. Patil declared on Wednesday, 29 July, sharply criticising the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) for directing the state to release 4.5 TMC of water to its southern neighbour. The minister cited poor monsoon conditions across the Cauvery basin as the primary reason for the shortfall.

Inadequate Rainfall Behind the Shortfall

Minister Patil told reporters that reservoirs in the Cauvery catchment area have received below-normal inflows this season owing to a weak monsoon. “There has not been good rainfall in the Cauvery basin this year. Consequently, the reservoirs in the region do not have enough water. Under such circumstances, it is not appropriate for the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee to direct Karnataka to release 4.5 TMC of water to Tamil Nadu,” he said.

Karnataka’s Position on Water Sharing

Patil emphasised that Karnataka has historically been cooperative in sharing Cauvery waters during years of surplus. “When there is good rainfall, there is no problem in sharing Cauvery water. In such years, Karnataka has released more than the prescribed 177 TMC to Tamil Nadu. However, there is no distress-sharing formula in place for drought years,” he said. This absence of a drought-year protocol has long been a structural gap in the inter-state water-sharing arrangement, critics argue.

Mekedatu Project Cited as Lasting Solution

The minister reiterated support for the proposed Mekedatu balancing reservoir project, which he said would resolve recurring Cauvery disputes. Patil noted that the concept was first mooted during his own tenure as Water Resources Minister. “The project will benefit Tamil Nadu as well. However, internal politics in that state is preventing progress. Tamil Nadu should acknowledge the simple fact that the Mekedatu reservoir will be beneficial to both states,” he asserted. Karnataka has argued it requires infrastructure to store a total of 65 TMC of water, including an additional 14 TMC allocated to the state under the final Cauvery water-sharing award.

Government’s Next Steps

Patil said Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar — who previously held the Water Resources portfolio — and current Water Resources Minister Ramalinga Reddy would deliberate on measures to address the ongoing crisis. He also urged the CWRC to examine current reservoir storage levels, including video evidence and official data, before arriving at any decision on water release. This comes amid growing pressure on the committee to balance the competing demands of both states during what is shaping up to be a difficult monsoon year.

The Cauvery dispute, one of India’s longest-running inter-state water conflicts, has periodically strained relations between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for decades. With no drought-year sharing formula in place and the Mekedatu project stalled, the current standoff underscores the unresolved structural fault lines in the arrangement.