CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay is keen on engaging neighbouring Karnataka in bilateral talks to resolve the long-standing Cauvery river water-sharing dispute, despite strong opposition from the farmers who have asked the government to call off the talks, an official source said on Tuesday (July 28).
Amidst a severe shortage of water afflicting the state, especially the Cauvery delta districts of Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam, marring the prospects of raising the short-term Kuruvai paddy crop, and with the customary opening of the Mettur dam on June 12 getting postponed due to inadequate water storage level, the famers have demanded the state government to explore legal options against Karnataka rather than hold diplomatic talks.
Farmer representatives who attended a consultative meeting with state Agriculture Minister R Vinoth here on Monday have sought the cancellation of talks between the two states. The representatives of the Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers' Association argued that direct negotiations would bypass the established legal protocol and contradict the Supreme Court verdict.
The opposition DMK, which has registered a strong protest to the diplomatic talks, has demanded the state government to strive for establishing a dedicated tribunal to resolve the Cauvery water dispute, and obtain the state's rightful share of the Cauvery water.
In its landmark 2018 judgment, the Supreme Court constituted the Cauvery Water Management Authority and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee as the statutory mechanisms to regulate and implement water-sharing between the two states.
Between June 1 and July 22, 2026, Tamil Nadu received only 3.5 TMC ft of water against the 31 TMC ft it was entitled to under the Supreme Court-mandated schedule.
The CM's proposed visit also comes in the wake of the Centre on Monday stating that Karnataka does not require Tamil Nadu's consent or that of other riparian states to construct the Mekedatu balancing reservoir.
Responding to a question from PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss in the Parliament, Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary told the Rajya Sabha that the 2018 Supreme Court judgment contained no clause requiring Karnataka to obtain clearance from the lower riparian states before constructing structures across the Cauvery river.
"As per the Supreme Court judgment dated February 16, 2018, regarding the Cauvery water dispute, there is no mention that State of Karnataka has to obtain the consent of the other riparian States namely Tamil Nadu, Kerala and UT of Puducherry to construct any kind of structure across river Cauvery.
Hon'ble Supreme Court in its Order has found the Clause XVIII of Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal (CWDT) Award of 2007 appropriate and reiterated in its Order that nothing in the order of this Tribunal shall impair the right or power or authority of any State to regulate within its boundaries the use of water or to enjoy the benefit of waters within that State in a manner not inconsistent with the order of this Tribunal" he had said.
The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir-cum-drinking water project that Karnataka submitted in 2019 has been returned to the project authority with the request to submit the revised DPR in compliance with the CWDT Award and as per the extant CWC guidelines, he added.