Cauvery Water Dispute: SC Refuses to Intervene, Setback to K’taka

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to intervene in the decisions made by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC), which directed the Karnataka government to release 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai, PS Narasimha and Prashant Kumar Mishra while refusing to intervene in the water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu said both CWMA and CWRC are regularly meeting and monitoring the water requirements every 15 days.
Additionally, the court dismissed an application from the Tamil Nadu government requesting an increase in its daily allocation of Cauvery water from 5,000 to 7,200 cusecs. Tamil Nadu argued that Karnataka had altered its stance and was releasing a reduced volume of water compared to the previous agreement.

On the other hand, Karnataka filed an application on September 20, urging the top court to direct the CWMA to reconsider its September 18 decision, which mandated the release of 5,000 cusecs of river water to Tamil Nadu until September 29. Karnataka’s application pointed out a significant shortfall in the south-west monsoon, impacting the catchment areas in Karnataka.

The Cauvery water dispute has been a longstanding and contentious issue between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, revolving around the allocation of water from the Cauvery river. This river serves as a critical source for irrigation and drinking water for millions of people in the region.

To address the disputes among Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Puducherry regarding water-sharing capacities, the Central government established the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) on June 2, 1990.