Release stipulated 20.22 tmc water to TN, Karnataka told

CHENNAI: The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) on Friday directed the Karnataka government to release 20.22 thousand million cubic feet (tmc) of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and other lower riparian states for September.

The decision was taken at the 44th meeting, chaired by CWMA chairperson SK Haldar in Delhi, with representatives from both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in attendance.

The directive is in line with the Supreme Court’s 2018 verdict, which mandates Karnataka, as the upper riparian state, to release 20.22 tmc of water to Tamil Nadu in September.

Following substantial rainfall in recent weeks, Karnataka’s major reservoirs -- Krishna Raja Sagar, Kabini, Harangi and Hemavathy in Cauvery belt are holding more than 95% of their combined storage capacity of 84.13 tmc.

“As a result, the state is not expected to face any difficulty in complying with the apex court’s ruling,” said an official from Tamil Nadu’s Water Resources Department (WRD)

In Tamil Nadu, the Stanley Reservoir at Mettur has reached its optimum storage level on six occasions this year.

As of September 26, the water level stood at 119.20 ft against the full capacity of 120 ft, with storage at 92.105 tmc.

The inflow was recorded at 8,149 cubic feet per second (cusecs), while 9,033 cusecs were released downstream to support irrigation in the Cauvery Delta.

Tamil Nadu’s WRD Principal Secretary J Jayakanthan urged the Authority to ensure Karnataka’s adherence to the stipulated release of 20.22 tmc for September. After deliberations, the CWMA instructed Karnataka to comply with the Supreme Court’s directive and release the water accordingly.