Cauvery Row: Tamil Nadu Government Moves Supreme Court Over Karnataka's Water Release Shortfall; Trichy Farmers Bury Themselves in Sand

The Tamil Nadu government on August 3 moved the Supreme Court seeking directions to ensure the release of Cauvery water from Karnataka, after alleging that Karnataka had failed to comply with orders of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC).

Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay had instructed the state government to approach the court after Karnataka did not release the mandated share of water despite the directions.

The CWRC, at its 139th meeting on July 28, had directed Karnataka to ensure the release of 3,500 cusecs of water per day at Biligundlu from July 29 to August 12, drawing from the Krishna Raja Sagar and Kabini reservoirs, a decision the CWMA later upheld.

Tamil Nadu said actual inflows at Biligundlu between July 29 and August 2 ranged only between 158 and 550 cusecs, well below the ordered quantity, and argued that increased rainfall in the reservoirs' catchment areas entitled the state to a significantly higher, proportionate share.

Amid the standoff, farmers in Tiruchirappalli staged a protest on the banks of the Cauvery on August 3, burying themselves in sand to demand the immediate release of water for irrigation.