The Tamil Nadu government has strongly criticized Karnataka’s decision to reduce the release of Cauvery water and will hold an all-party meeting on Tuesday to address the issue. The meeting, chaired by Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan, is scheduled for 11 am at the State Secretariat.
On July 14, Karnataka decided to release only 8,000 cusecs of water from the Cauvery River to Tamil Nadu, instead of the previously agreed one thousand million cubic metres. This decision followed an all-party meeting in Bengaluru, where various leaders discussed issues related to the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC).
The Bengaluru meeting was attended by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, BJP leader CT Ravi, and other prominent state leaders. After the meeting, CM Siddaramaiah stated, “Today an all-party meeting took place with Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, BJP leaders, and Mysuru basin leaders. They agreed that we should not release water and should appeal before CWMA. Legal team member Mohan Katarki suggested releasing 8,000 cusecs of water, with the possibility of increasing the amount if it rains.”
In a press conference, CM Siddaramaiah further explained, “The collective opinion is that we can’t release 1 TMC of water to Tamil Nadu every day. We have decided to appeal before the court and will release 8,000 cusecs daily to Tamil Nadu.”
Earlier this year, Bengaluru faced a severe water crisis, affecting 7,082 villages across Karnataka and 1,193 wards, including those in Bengaluru Urban District. A government assessment on February 10 highlighted the vulnerability of these areas to a drinking water crisis. The report identified Tumakuru district and wards in Uttara Kannada as facing a severe water shortage.
The dispute over the Cauvery water sharing has been a longstanding issue between the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu governments, with the river being a crucial resource for both states.