Karnataka to challenge direction to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu before Supreme Court, says CM Siddaramaiah

The direction of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee to Karnataka to release water at the rate of 3,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs) to Tamil Nadu from Thursday to October 15 will be challenged before the Supreme Court, the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Wednesday.

Siddaramaiah said he has spoken to the State's legal team which opined that it should be challenged in the apex court.

"We are challenging the order of the Regulation Committee before the Supreme Court. We don't have water to give," the CM told reporters at Male Mahadeshwara Hills in this district.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar had on Tuesday expressed satisfaction over the rejecting the request of Tamil Nadu, which wanted Karnataka to release 12,000 cusecs.

Karnataka submitted before CWRC at its meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday that the shortfall in cumulative inflows to its four reservoirs in the Cauvery basin up to September 25 is 53.04 per cent.

According to Karnataka officials, due to the failure of the south-west monsoon (from June to September) this year, there is no sufficient storage in the four reservoirs and the State is facing such a grave situation that it is finding it extremely difficult even to cater to the drinking water requirements let alone supplying for irrigation.

The rainfall received in Karnataka this year in the months of August and September is the lowest in the last 123 years, they said.

Later speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Shivakumar, the Water Resources Minister, appealed to Kannada organisations to drop the call for bandh on Friday, and said the government is committed to protect the interest of the farmers and drinking water requirements of the state.

"Yesterday's (Bengaluru) bandh has been by and large successful, people have cooperated....we too are with protesters, as we are in the government, we have to abide by law and rules. Some organisations have called for bandh on September 29, I appeal to them, as people have cooperated with yesterday's bandh; once again calling a bandh will cause losses and inconvenience to them, let that not happen," he said.

Following the agitations and after hearing the arguments made by the government, the quantum of water to be released to Tamil Nadu has been reduced from 5,000 cusecs to 3,000 cusecs, the Congress leader pointed out.

"Rejecting Tamil Nadu's request for releasing 12,000 cusecs is a big (thing) for Karnataka. Earlier we had committed 3,000 cusecs, but in the recent hearing we said we will not release water. Even now, it is the opinion of the Chief Minister and mine is not to release water from KRS dam.

"In other places there is inflow and any ways the water including the seepage water will go (to TN), and there will be evaporation as well," he added.

Karnataka bandh has been called on September 29 by 'Kannada Okkuta', an umbrella outfit for Kannada organisations, led by activist Vatal Nagaraj.