NEW DELHI, AUG 28
The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) has issued an interim order to Karnataka directing the upper riparian state to release 5,000 cusecs of water daily for the next 15 days.
The order, issued on Monday, mandates the additional release of 3,100 cusecs beyond the current 1,900 cusecs being released to Tamil Nadu. This will result in a total of 5,000 cusecs of water to be recorded at the Biligundlu measuring station.
The Supreme Court on Friday, refused to pass any interim direction on Tamil Nadu’s plea for Cauvery water release from Karnataka dams. The Supreme Court, on August 25, declined to issue any interim directives. Instead, the court instructed CWMA to provide a report by September 1, confirming the compliance with the water discharge directions.
The Karnataka government argued in the Supreme Court that Tamil Nadu’s demand for Cauvery water release is based on an erroneous assumption of a normal water year, disregarding the distressed water year conditions due to the southwest monsoon’s failure. The State’s Water Resources Department filed an affidavit stating that Karnataka is not obligated to meet the water quota of a normal year under the present distress in the Cauvery basin.
