BENGALURU: Karnataka on Wednesday conveyed to Tamil Nadu that it is not in a position to release Cauvery water as poor monsoon rains and depleted reservoir storage have forced the state to prioritise drinking water needs over downstream releases.
The stand was taken at a meeting of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) on Wednesday, where Karnataka’s delegation, led by Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited (KNNL) Managing Director Mahesh and adviser Sriramaiah, participated through video conference.
The officials later briefed Karnataka Water Resources Minister Ramalinga Reddy on the proceedings.
During the meeting, Tamil Nadu officials expressed concern over the reduced inflows, pointing out that water had flowed for only four days during the current spell and that releases this year were significantly lower than in previous years and asked for at least 15 days flow.
In response, Karnataka officials maintained that the state itself was grappling with a severe rainfall deficit and declining reservoir storage due to a poor monsoon and the impact of El Niño-like weather conditions.
The Karnataka delegation informed the committee that several parts of the state were facing drought-like conditions and that the water available in the Cauvery basin reservoirs was barely sufficient to meet drinking water requirements. Under such circumstances, they argued, Karnataka could not be expected to make additional releases to Tamil Nadu.
According to sources, the committee acknowledged the poor rainfall situation and the low storage levels in Karnataka’s reservoirs and did not direct the state to release water immediately.
Officials indicated that the issue would be reviewed again after assessing fresh monsoon inflows in the coming days.
Karnataka also told the CWRC that any decision on future releases would depend entirely on rainfall during the remainder of the southwest monsoon and the quantum of inflows into the state’s reservoirs over the coming weeks.
The next meeting of the CWRC has been scheduled for July 28.
PRIORITISE DRINKING WATER, CWRC TELLS STATES
Water flow from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry has dropped to unprecedented lows, and reservoir levels have fallen to historic lows, significantly below the 30-year average. States are struggling to maintain even the minimum required environmental flow in river stream. The situation has become worse than in June, when less than one-third of the necessary water volume flowed.
The Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee (CWRC) has advised the states to conserve water and prioritize drinking water facilities, industrial use, and the maintenance of at least environmental flow. Cropping activities has been planned only based on water availability. The water flow at the inter-state point of Biligundlu, between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, has reached its lowest level, similar to the conditions in May 2023.