Supreme Court reserves order on Cauvery water sharing as Karnataka cites severe drought

The Supreme Court has reserved its order on a plea filed by Tamil Nadu seeking the immediate release of 11 thousand million cubic feet of Cauvery water from Karnataka to make good an accumulated supply deficit.

A bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Aapresh Kumar Singh heard extensive arguments from both states on Monday before deciding to reserve its verdict on Tamil Nadu’s interim application.

Tamil Nadu asked the court to direct Karnataka to clear an 11 TMC shortfall recorded up to 7 October, alongside guaranteed daily flows of 1.3 TMC over 10 days at Billigundulu, the primary water-measuring station on the inter-state border. Appearing for Tamil Nadu, Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi argued that distress during low-rainfall periods must be shared on a fair pro-rata basis, warning that standing crops in the state face significant risk without prompt releases.

Karnataka resisted the plea, pointing to deficient monsoon rainfall across its catchment areas. Senior Advocate Shyam Divan, representing Karnataka, told the bench that several districts in the state had been declared drought-hit, leaving reservoir levels depleted. He stated that Karnataka must conserve remaining storage to safeguard drinking water supplies for residential areas. Divan added that Tamil Nadu would benefit from rainfall during the upcoming northeast monsoon in November, whereas Karnataka receives no further seasonal replenishment.

During the proceedings, the bench questioned how backlog releases could be enforced during a severe rain deficit. Justice Nath observed that while supply expectations would be straightforward in a normal monsoon year, low rainfall complicates distribution across both states.

Karnataka highlighted that statutory bodies established to manage the river basin have actively monitored and regulated flows based on field evaluations. At its 59th meeting on 8 October, the Cauvery Water Management Authority directed Karnataka to ensure flows of 3,000 cusecs per day at Billigundulu for 15 days starting 9 October. That directive adjusted a previous decision by the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee on 24 September, which had mandated releases of 4,000 cusecs daily.

In its petition, filed through standing counsel B Karunakaran, Tamil Nadu stated that the CWRC had previously calculated the expected flow at Billigundulu at 52.935 TMC based on deficit percentages, but argued that allocated releases remained inadequate. The state also noted that an early Kharif crop had already been lost due to low supplies.

The drought conditions in Karnataka's southern river basin have also weighed heavily on local agriculture and allied activities. In sericulture belts such as Mandya, Ramanagara, Kolar, and Chikkaballapura, dry weather has reduced leaf yields and lowered daily cocoon market arrivals from 60 tonnes last year to 40 tonnes this year.

With oral submissions concluded, the Supreme Court is expected to deliver its ruling on whether interim releases beyond the orders of the Cauvery Water Management Authority are warranted.