New Delhi: The case filed by the Tamil Nadu government in the Supreme Court, seeking to ensure that Karnataka releases water in accordance with the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Cauvery water dispute and the order of the Cauvery Water Management Authority, is scheduled for hearing on the 13th.
As a result of the legal battle in the Supreme Court over the Cauvery river water-sharing dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, in 2018 the Supreme Court delivered its final verdict, allocating 404.25 TMC of water to Tamil Nadu and 284.75 TMC to Karnataka, and also ordered the formation of the Cauvery Water Management Authority. Accordingly, the Central government established the Cauvery Water Management Authority.
Following this, water was being supplied based on the schedule issued by the Supreme Court on how much water should be released into the Cauvery each month, but Karnataka kept delaying the release of the water due to be given to Tamil Nadu, citing water shortages from time to time.
In this situation, when Karnataka did not release the water that was supposed to be opened into the Cauvery for Tamil Nadu in July, the Tamil Nadu government petitioned the Cauvery Water Management Authority regarding this. Following this, the Cauvery Water Management Authority ordered Karnataka to release water to Tamil Nadu at the rate of 3,500 cubic feet per second every day for 15 days.
However, despite the order, the Karnataka government did not release the required amount of water into the Cauvery, citing a shortage of water. Following this, the Tamil Nadu government filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking an order to strictly implement the judgment delivered by the Supreme Court in 2018.
In it, “Karnataka has failed to follow the Supreme Court’s 2018 verdict on the Cauvery water dispute. In particular, if Karnataka refuses to release water to Tamil Nadu in the months of June, July, and August, the lakhs of farmers living in the Cauvery delta region will be severely affected.
Therefore, in order to protect Tamil Nadu’s interests, the Supreme Court should issue appropriate orders to the Karnataka government to ensure that the judgment delivered in 2018 in the Cauvery water dispute and the order of the Cauvery Water Management Authority are strictly followed in every respect. In the current irrigation year, Karnataka should be directed to immediately release the pending water for the period from June 1 to August.
Furthermore, in order to ensure the regulated release of water, the Tamil Nadu government had requested in its petition that the Cauvery Water Management Authority be directed to monitor the inflow into Karnataka’s dams once every 10 days and issue appropriate instructions to Karnataka.
Appearing on behalf of the Tamil Nadu government before Chief Justice Surya Kant of the Supreme Court, senior advocate C.S. Vaidyanathan requested that this petition be taken up for urgent hearing. In particular, he stressed that there is a shortage of 22.75 TMC of water in the Cauvery water that Tamil Nadu should receive. Therefore, he urged that this petition be heard immediately.
The Chief Justice, who accepted that petition, assured that the Tamil Nadu government's petition regarding the Cauvery water issue, along with the other petitions filed in connection with it, would be taken up for hearing on the 13th.
