Tamil Nadu Moves Supreme Court Over Cauvery Water, Says Karnataka Withholding Due Share

The long-running Cauvery water dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka has once again reached the Supreme Court, with the Tamil Nadu government seeking urgent intervention to secure what it says is its rightful share of river water.

Acting on the directions of Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, the state government filed a petition before the apex court, arguing that both the quantity allocated by the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) and the amount released by Karnataka are significantly lower than what Tamil Nadu is entitled to receive.

According to an official statement issued on Monday, the Chief Minister held discussions with senior legal experts before deciding to approach the Supreme Court.

The state government pointed out that recent rainfall in the catchment areas of Karnataka's major Cauvery reservoirs has considerably improved water availability. As of August 3, the combined storage in the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS), Kabini, Harangi and Hemavathy reservoirs stood at 77.537 TMC (thousand million cubic feet).

Tamil Nadu argued that with reservoir levels improving, Karnataka should have no difficulty releasing the state's proportionate share of water. Based on the prevailing storage levels, Tamil Nadu maintained that 26.954 TMC should have reached Biligundlu, the interstate gauging station that measures the flow of Cauvery water into Tamil Nadu.

However, the state claimed that the CWRC allocated only 4.536 TMC, which it described as grossly inadequate and far below its legitimate entitlement.

The government further alleged that Karnataka has failed to release the required quantity despite adequate water being available in its reservoirs. It urged the Supreme Court to issue appropriate directions to ensure that Tamil Nadu receives its due share without further delay.

The latest legal move marks another chapter in the decades-old interstate dispute over the sharing of Cauvery waters, an issue that has repeatedly required intervention from courts and river management authorities, particularly during the monsoon season when water-sharing calculations are closely monitored.