Cauvery River dispute: K’taka govt files affidavit in SC opposing TN’s plea

The Karnataka government on Thursday filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court in the Cauvery water-sharing dispute opposing Tamil Nadu’s application for the release of 24,000 cusecs of water daily per day from the reservoirs in Karnataka. Karnataka government said that Tamil Nadu’s application is based on an assumption that this year is the normal rainwater year. The government said that Tamil Nadu’s application that Karnataka to ensure the release of 36.76 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) stipulated for September 2023 has no legal basis since the said quantity is stipulated in a normal water year and this water year, being a distressed water year so far, it is not applicable. The application is based on an “erroneous assumption” that this year is the normal rainwater year, even though, rainfall is lesser by 25 per cent and inflow into four reservoirs in Karnataka was lesser by 42.5 per cent upto August 9 as recorded by the Cauvery Water Management Authority, Karnataka government stated in its affidavit. “During this water year, the southwest monsoon has largely failed so far. Due to the failure of the southwest monsoon, the distress condition has arisen in the Cauvery basin in Karnataka. Karnataka, therefore is not obliged to and it cannot be compiled to ensure water as per the stipulated releases prescribed for the normal year,” it added.