NE AGRICULTURE BUREAU
CHENNAI, AUG 2
After weeks of anxiety over the Cauvery’s uncertain flow, the river is beginning to offer a quieter message of hope. Heavy rainfall in the upper Cauvery catchment has sharply improved inflows into Karnataka’s reservoirs, prompting the release of around 12,000 cusecs from Kabini and raising expectations that Tamil Nadu could begin receiving the water at Biligundlu by Monday and at Mettur by Tuesday or Wednesday.
- Karnataka releases around 12,000 cusecs from Kabini after heavy catchment rains; water expected at Biligundlu by Monday
- Flow could reach Mettur by Tuesday-Wednesday, offering hope to Cauvery delta farmers ahead of the cropping season
- Rising storage in Kabini and KRS improves Karnataka’s room to release water, even as the State remains watchful of its own irrigation and drinking-water needs
- Fresh release comes amid a continuing inter-State dispute and recent CWRC direction for Karnataka to ensure 3,500 cusecs at Biligundlu
The development offers a measure of relief to Tamil Nadu, particularly farmers in the Cauvery delta who are closely watching reservoir levels before committing themselves to the cropping season. For Karnataka, however, the release comes against a backdrop of its own recent concerns over deficient rainfall, drinking-water security and irrigation requirements.
The latest release therefore offers something both States urgently need—more water and, at least temporarily, some breathing space in a dispute that has repeatedly turned every cusec into a political and agricultural flashpoint.
From rainfall to relief
Water Resources Department (WRD) officials in Tamil Nadu said the water released from Kabini is expected to reach Biligundlu, the inter-State gauging station, by Monday, before moving downstream towards Mettur.
The precise timing, however, remains uncertain.
Several stretches of the Cauvery basin between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have remained relatively dry, officials said, potentially slowing the flow. Evaporation, absorption and transmission losses along the river course would also have to be factored in.
“We cannot precisely calculate the arrival time merely on the basis of the release from the reservoir, as the condition of the river course and transmission losses have to be taken into account,” a senior WRD official said.
The arrival of the water at Mettur will be watched particularly closely because the reservoir remains the principal lifeline for irrigation in the Cauvery delta.
As of Saturday, Mettur held 35.774 tmcft, or 38.27 per cent of its 93.470-tmcft capacity. Officials said the reservoir level and upstream releases were being monitored continuously.
For farmers, every additional inflow now matters.
Kabini storage changes the equation
The latest development reflects the dramatic improvement in Kabini’s storage position following sustained rainfall.
The reservoir, with a capacity of 19,516 million cubic feet (mcft), held only 26.59 per cent of capacity on July 1, when inflow was 1,988 cusecs.
By July 15, storage had climbed to 61.63 per cent, and by July 31 it had reached 82.65 per cent, while inflow rose to 9,133 cusecs.
The heavy rains in the Cauvery catchment have consequently altered the immediate water balance in Karnataka.
With Kabini and Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) approaching fuller storage levels, further releases could become necessary if strong inflows persist. For Tamil Nadu, that possibility could translate into a more dependable flow towards Mettur and, eventually, greater confidence among delta farmers.
Two states, two water realities
Tamil Nadu officials have maintained that Karnataka delayed releases despite directions from the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) and Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).
At the July 28 meeting, the CWRC directed Karnataka to ensure 3,500 cusecs at Biligundlu daily for 15 days from July 29. Karnataka, however, had argued that it was facing severe water scarcity and that its reservoir storage and inflows were inadequate to comfortably meet its own requirements.
The Karnataka position has also received political backing. BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka criticised the State government over the CWRC direction and urged it not to release water, arguing that Karnataka itself was facing water stress and that the government should challenge the order.
The change in rainfall and reservoir inflows has now softened that immediate pressure.
Karnataka Water Resources Minister Ramalinga Reddy has previously maintained that the State is seeking only its allocated share of Cauvery water and “not even a single drop” more, while asserting that the Mekedatu project could benefit farmers in both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The contrasting positions underline the continuing dilemma: Tamil Nadu needs predictable downstream flows for agriculture, while Karnataka has to balance mandated releases with its own drinking-water and irrigation requirements.
Farmers watch the river, not the politics
For the Cauvery delta farmer, however, the immediate concern is less about the rhetoric surrounding the river and more about whether enough water reaches Mettur to sustain cultivation.
The latest Kabini release provides some comfort, but officials caution against treating it as a guarantee of plentiful water. Much will depend on continuing rainfall, inflows into Karnataka’s reservoirs, subsequent releases and the actual quantum reaching Biligundlu and Mettur.
That makes the next few days crucial.
If rainfall continues and both Kabini and KRS maintain strong inflows, Karnataka could find itself with greater flexibility to release additional water downstream. That would provide Tamil Nadu with a valuable cushion as the cropping season approaches.
The current situation thus offers a rare moment when nature is doing what negotiations have often struggled to accomplish—creating room for both sides to breathe.
For now, the Cauvery is flowing with a little more promise. Whether that promise becomes sustained agricultural security will depend on the rain above the reservoirs, the water stored behind them and, ultimately, the willingness of both States to manage a shared river with a shared sense of responsibility.
