CHENNAI: Amid the continuing dispute over the Mekedatu project, Tamil Nadu on Tuesday urged the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to direct Karnataka to release 9.91 tmcft of water at Biligundulu in June, in accordance with the Supreme Court order.
The request was made during the 51st meeting of the CWMA held in New Delhi under the chairmanship of SK Haldar. TN Water Resources Department additional chief secretary Satyabrata Sahu participated in the meeting through video conference from the secretariat in Chennai.
During the meeting, Sahu said the storage level in the Mettur dam stood at 40.742 tmcft as on May 25. He added that 1,003 cusecs of water was being released from the dam for drinking water supply, industrial purposes and environmental flow.
He further stated that Tamil Nadu had received 329.166 tmcft of water at Biligundulu, including surplus flow, between June 1, 2025 and May 24, 2026, against its allocated share of 176.685 tmcft for the current irrigation year.
Referring to this, Karnataka’s representative argued that the surplus water released by Karnataka should also be taken into account while calculating TN’s share.
However, Sahu opposed the contention, stating that Karnataka could not claim ownership over excess water that it was unable to store in its reservoirs and had allowed to flow downstream.
Citing the meteorological department’s forecast that the southwest monsoon is likely to set in over Kerala on May 26 and that rainfall is expected to remain normal this season, TN urged the CWMA to ensure the release of its due share of water during June.