Supreme Court Defers Tamil Nadu's Cauvery Water Plea to August 17

The Supreme Court on Wednesday deferred the hearing on Tamil Nadu's plea seeking directions for Karnataka to immediately release its share of Cauvery water to August 17. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V Mohana announced that the matter would be taken up later in the month after a separate urgent listing was mentioned before the court.

The matter was previously scheduled to be heard on Thursday, August 13, before a bench led by Justice Vikram Nath. However, Chief Justice Surya Kant noted during the proceedings that Justice Vikram Nath was unwell, necessitating the rescheduling of the hearing. Senior advocate P Wilson mentioned a separate plea on behalf of farmers during Wednesday's session to request an urgent hearing.

The Tamil Nadu government approached the Supreme Court on August 3, filing a plea against Karnataka for failing to release the state's due share of water during a rain-deficient year. In its petition, the state claimed that the quantum of water allocated by the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) and the actual amount released by Karnataka fell significantly short of what was required.

According to details provided in the petition, a CWRC meeting held on July 28 had directed Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water daily for a 15-day period starting July 29. However, the state government reported that the actual quantum of water released at the Biligundlu measuring station ranged between just 158 cusecs and 550 cusecs from July 29 to August 2.

A press release issued by the Tamil Nadu government highlighted that following recent rainfall in the catchment areas of the Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) and Kabini dams in Karnataka, the proportionate volume of water to be realised at Biligundlu should have been 26.954 TMC. The state asserted that Karnataka had failed to share this due quantum of water.

The Tamil Nadu government further noted that as of August 3, the combined water storage across Karnataka's key reservoirs—KRS, Kabini, Harangi, and Hemavathy—stood at 77.537 TMC. The state contended that Karnataka possesses adequate water reserves and would face no difficulty in proportionately releasing Tamil Nadu's allocated share.

Additionally, the state government stated that the Cauvery Water Management Authority order allocating 4.536 TMC was far too low given the recent rainfall in the catchment areas. Tamil Nadu maintains that its required share remains 26.954 TMC and has sought direct intervention from the apex court to ensure the release of water from the upper riparian state.