Bengaluru: Karnataka has asked the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to reduce the daily release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu at Biligundlu from 4,000 cusecs to 2,000 cusecs, citing drought conditions and dwindling storage in the basin’s reservoirs.
Water Resources Minister N. Chaluvarayaswamy said the state has sought a review of the CWMA’s September 24 direction to release 4,000 cusecs daily for 15 days. Karnataka’s request comes amid concerns over declining inflows into the KRS, Hemavathi, Harangi and Kabini reservoirs.
According to the minister, the four reservoirs currently have around 49 TMC of usable water. Karnataka wants to conserve the available storage for drinking-water requirements, ecological needs and reservoir losses through June 2027.
47 Cauvery-basin taluks declared drought-hit
Chaluvarayaswamy said around 47 taluks in the Cauvery basin have been declared drought-affected, making it difficult for the state to sustain higher releases.
Karnataka has maintained that it has complied with CWMA directions during the current water year. The minister said 44.21 TMC was recorded at Biligundlu between June 1 and September 30.
The state has also cited the expected Northeast Monsoon in Tamil Nadu, arguing that normal or above-normal rainfall there could improve inflows into Tamil Nadu’s Cauvery catchments.
Karnataka’s latest request comes against the backdrop of continuing water-sharing tensions between the two states during a year of deficient rainfall and lower reservoir storage. The dispute has intensified periodically during years of hydrological distress, with Karnataka seeking adjustments to release directions based on prevailing water availability.
Chaluvarayaswamy said Karnataka has urged the CWMA to consider the state’s distress and lower the required release at Biligundlu to 2,000 cusecs a day.
