Karnataka says unable to release Cauvery water to TN amid poor rainfall

Chennai, July 9:

Karnataka has stated that it is currently unable to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu due to insufficient rainfall and low storage levels in its reservoirs, Water Resources Minister Ramalinga Reddy said.

He explained that reservoirs in Karnataka have not filled up as expected this monsoon, making it difficult to spare water for downstream states. “There is no adequate water in our dams due to poor rainfall. Hence, we are not in a position to release water to Tamil Nadu at present,” he said.

In Tamil Nadu, paddy cultivation plays a crucial role, covering an average of 52.72 lakh acres annually. The Cauvery delta districts — Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai — along with parts of Cuddalore, Tiruchy and Ariyalur, depend heavily on Cauvery water for agriculture. Of this, around 5.14 lakh acres are cultivated during the Kuruvai season.

Traditionally, the Mettur dam is opened on June 12 every year to facilitate Kuruvai cultivation. However, this year the dam has not been opened due to insufficient water storage. The Tamil Nadu government has instead announced a Rs 77.50 crore Kuruvai package scheme to support farmers.

The Mettur dam, which has a full capacity of 93.47 TMC, currently holds only 38.35 TMC of water, significantly lower than last year when it was full around the same time. Farmers in the delta region are anxiously waiting for the dam to be opened.

Water inflow into Mettur depends largely on releases from Karnataka’s reservoirs such as Krishna Raja Sagar, Kabini, Harangi and Hemavathi. At present, these dams together hold only about 35.1% of their total capacity, compared to 91.7% last year.

Officials noted that substantial rainfall — around 400 to 600 mm over two weeks across catchment areas — is required for these reservoirs to fill up.

As per the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s guidelines, Karnataka is expected to release 9.91 TMC in June and 32 TMC in July to Tamil Nadu. However, the stipulated quantity has not been released so far.

Ramalinga Reddy added that no directive has been issued by the Cauvery authority under the current conditions, as it is aware of the water shortage in Karnataka. “Water release will depend entirely on rainfall. So far, there has been no significant rain,” he said.