CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday urged the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to direct Karnataka to release 9.91 TMC of water from the Cauvery basin during June.

The CWMA meeting, chaired by Saumitra Kumar Haldar, was held through video conference.

Tamil Nadu was represented by Water Resources Secretary Satyabrata Sahoo and Cauvery Technical Committee Chairman R Subramanian.

During the meeting, Karnataka argued that excess water released downstream at Biligundlu should be taken into account when calculating overall water sharing between the two States.

According to Karnataka's submission, it had released 329.166 TMC of water between June 1, 2025 and May 24, 2026, against the stipulated quantum of 176.685 TMC.

Tamil Nadu strongly opposed the argument and maintained that surplus water discharged due to storage limitations in Karnataka reservoirs could not be treated as part of the State's allocated release obligation.

"Karnataka cannot claim credit for excess water released merely because it was unable to store water in its reservoirs," Tamil Nadu representatives reportedly told the Authority.

Tamil Nadu also appealed to the CWMA to consider the approaching southwest monsoon season and direct Karnataka to release 9.91 TMC of water at Biligundlu during June to meet downstream requirements.