The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to interfere with orders of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) directing the Karnataka government to release 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu.
The apex court said that it was not inclined to interfere with the order passed on this aspect by the authority since the authority and committee were meeting and monitoring the situation every 15 days. It declined to entertain an application filed by the Tamil Nadu government to increase its current share of Cauvery river water from 5,000 to 7,200 cusecs per day.
Tamil Nadu has sought fresh directions for the release of Cauvery river water from Karnataka, claiming that the neighbouring state had changed its stand and had released a reduced quantity of water as against what was agreed upon earlier.
The Karnataka government on Wednesday filed an application before the top court seeking a direction to the CWMA to reconsider its September 18 decision to ensure a flow of 5,000 cusecs of river water to Tamil Nadu until September 29.
“This water year of 2023–24 has begun on a bad note. The south-west monsoon which feeds the catchment in Karnataka has failed miserably. Even at the reservoir level, which covers a part of the catchment, the shortfall is 53.42%. If the shortfall is considered up to the inter-State border Biligundulu, where flows are accountable, shortfall and distress would be much more than 53.42%,” the Karnataka government said.
