Karnataka challenges Cauvery water release to Tamil Nadu, SC to hear plea on Sept 14

Karnataka has approached the Supreme Court against the Cauvery Water Management Authority's direction to the state to release 6,000 cusecs of Cauvery water daily to Tamil Nadu.The CWMA on Tuesday upheld the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee's recommendation directing Karnataka to ensure a flow of 6,000 cusecs to Tamil Nadu for 15 days.Karnataka's appeal challenging the direction to release Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu will come up for hearing before the Supreme Court on September 14, Water Resources Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy said on Friday.Karnataka has approached the Supreme Court against the Cauvery Water Management Authority's direction to the state to release 6,000 cusecs of Cauvery water daily to Tamil Nadu.The CWMA on Tuesday upheld the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee's recommendation directing Karnataka to ensure a flow of 6,000 cusecs to Tamil Nadu for 15 days."The petition will come up for hearing on Monday. The state government was compelled to continue releasing water to Tamil Nadu until then based on the advice of legal experts, as directly approaching the court in violation of the CWRC order could have jeopardised the petition," Chaluvarayaswamy said, according to a statement issued by his office. The minister said the government was in a difficult position amid an acute water shortage in Karnataka, but had to comply with court orders within the framework of the federal system."Over the last 20 years, this is the year when the least amount of water has been released to Tamil Nadu. Even during similarly difficult situations in the past, there have been instances where 35 TMC of water was released," he said. Chaluvarayaswamy said the government remained committed to protecting the interests of farmers and that Karnataka's officials and legal team were putting forward strong arguments before the Supreme Court.Water is currently being supplied to farmers for irrigation on a rotational basis, while the government is also working to fill lakes and tanks, he said.The minister said sufficient water would be reserved in the four major reservoirs in the Cauvery basin to ensure drinking water availability between December and June.He said the government did not want to engage in a political blame game with the Opposition over the Cauvery dispute."If BJP MPs from Karnataka and Union ministers take steps to secure the Centre's approval for the Mahadayi and Mekedatu projects, it would provide a permanent solution to the state's water-related concerns," he said.Chaluvarayaswamy said discussions had already been held with Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil on the Mekedatu project and expressed confidence that approval would be secured soon.On cloud seeding being undertaken in the state, the minister said the exercise had not produced the expected results during its initial phase. However, he expressed hope that favourable weather conditions after the Gauri-Ganesha festival would improve its effectiveness.- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 11, 2026 16:28 IST