Karnataka’s Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced the state will argue its case in the Supreme Court, stating that Tamil Nadu’s petition is not maintainable due to a prior Supreme Court verdict in the Cauvery River water-sharing dispute. Here is everything you need to know about the river water dispute.
What is the Decades-Long Conflict about?
The Cauvery River water-sharing issue has been a contentious matter between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for years, impacting irrigation and drinking water for millions in the region. Karnataka has been releasing millions of gallons of river water to the state of Tamil Nadu but the dispute prevails.
How much water does Karnataka release?
Karnataka typically releases 177.25 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of water, but the amount is unclear during distress situations. The problem stated by the CM is that the definition of “distress situations” remains uncertain among others. To probe further on the matter, an all-party meeting took place in the capital city of Karnataka.
All-Party Meeting
An all-party meeting convened by CM Siddaramaiah took place in Bengaluru, attended by leaders from various political parties, including former CM BS Yediyurappa and JD-S leader HD Kumaraswamy. On the other hand, Tamil Nadu has requested for more river water in a new application.
Tamil Nadu’s Fresh Application
Tamil Nadu filed an application requesting Karnataka to release 24,000 cusecs of water and adhere to the stipulated 36.76 TMC for September 2023 as per the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal’s (CWDT) final award, modified by the Supreme Court in 2018. Moreover, the state of Tamil Nadu has accused Karnataka of not abiding by the tribunal.
Allegations Against Karnataka
Tamil Nadu alleges that Karnataka did not fully implement earlier directions to release the required water, citing Karnataka’s duty to follow the Tribunal’s final order as modified by the Supreme Court.
