In a significant development, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced on Sunday that the Karnataka government is prepared to release 8,000 cusecs of water from the Cauvery River to Tamil Nadu daily, instead of the one TMC (thousand million cubic feet) as directed by the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee. This decision will be in effect until the end of the month.Following an all-party meeting, which included Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka, JD(S) MLA G T Deve Gowda, farmer leaders, and legal experts, the Chief Minister addressed the media, explaining the state’s current water situation. “There is only 63 percent water in the Cauvery basin dams. In this situation, the state is not in a position to release one TMC water each day,” Siddaramaiah stated.
Siddaramaiah elaborated on the consensus reached during the meeting: “Everyone was of the opinion that we should release 8,000 cusecs of water and not one TMC, which is 11,500 cusecs of water. If there is no rain, then we will minimize the release of water and file an appeal before the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).”
The Cauvery Water Regulatory Authority had initially directed that starting from July 12 until the end of the month, one TMC of water must be released daily. However, due to the insufficient water levels, this directive has posed significant challenges. Advocate Mohan Katarki, present at the meeting, noted that the Krishnarajasagar dam on the Cauvery River currently holds only 54 percent of its capacity, with other dams in the basin holding just 63 percent.
CM Siddaramaiah further detailed the water flow, stating, “On July 12, the inflow of water was 5,000 cusecs in Kabini, which was allowed to flow towards Tamil Nadu. Additionally, 5,000 cusecs of water was flowing in Biligundlu on Saturday. On July 12 and 13, 20,000 cusecs and 19,000 cusecs respectively were released for Tamil Nadu from the Kabini dam.