Karnataka must release 3,500 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, orders CWMA

The Cauvery Water Management Authority has ordered the Karnataka government to release water to Tamil Nadu in the Cauvery at the rate of 3,500 cubic feet per second for 15 days.

The order, issued on Thursday (July 30), follows the recommendation made by the Cauvery Regulation Committee a day earlier. At its virtual meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday (July 29), attended by representatives of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, the panel recommended that Karnataka release 3,500 cusecs of water a day to Tamil Nadu over 15 days, amounting to nearly 4 TMC.

Karnataka has decided to challenge the direction before the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA). Minister for Major and Medium Irrigation Ramalinga Reddy said that Chief Minister DK Shivakumar would convene an urgent meeting with senior officials of the Water Resources Department and legal experts to discuss the State's response. DK Shivakumar has also called for an all-party meet in Bengaluru on Sunday.

Vijay-DKS talks on

Meanwhile, DK Shivakumar has confirmed the upcoming visit of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay to Bengaluru. In his statement, he said the Tamil Nadu CM is arriving to discuss the long-pending Cauvery water issue and to work out a mutually acceptable solution that serves the best interests of both states.

Also Read: Can't release Cauvery water to TN, says Karnataka; plans to appeal

The Karnataka CM said he had accepted the letter from his Tamil Nadu counterpart and conveyed his willingness to cooperate and work together on the matter.

"... I have called an all-party meeting on Sunday on the Cauvery issue, and the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu is coming. We wholeheartedly want to discuss working out in the best interest of both states... I also conveyed that let us work together...", Shivakumar told the media.

Protests in Cauvery basin

Kannada activists have intensified their protest in Mandya against the directive to Karnataka to release water.

During the protest, they tore posters of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's film 'Jana Nayagan'. The protesters urged the state government not to bow to pressure and release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.

The protesters tore down posters of the film outside the theatre and raised slogans against the CWRC's directive.

Also Read: 'Keep Mekedatu separate, focus on Cauvery share now': Expert on upcoming Vijay-DKS talks

They submitted a memorandum to the state government through the deputy commissioner (district collector), urging it not to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and expressing support for the farmers' agitation in Mandya.

One of the protesters said, "Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, please tell them (the authorities concerned) that we don't even have drinking water, nor do we have water for our livestock. People are in a desperate situation. Request them to give us some more time."

He said the people of Mandya district had always stood at the forefront in championing Karnataka's cause.