Samba hopes rest in TN’s plea before Supreme Court for Cauvery water

TIRUCHY: The Tamil Nadu government’s move to approach the Supreme Court seeking a direction to Karnataka to implement the Cauvery Water Management Authority order has instilled hope among local farmers. They believe they will now receive their due share of water for Delta irrigation and have urged the state government to pursue the case persistently until Karnataka releases water into Mettur.

Despite the CWMA approving the recommendations of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) to release water to Tamil Nadu, the Karnataka government refused to obey the order. Consequently, the Tamil Nadu government, led by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, moved the Supreme Court on August 3. The state appealed for a direction to Karnataka to release 26.954 TMC of water owed for the period between June 1 and August 12. It also sought an instruction to the CWMA to monitor flows in Karnataka’s reservoirs every 10 days and ensure stipulated monthly releases at Biligundlu, the interstate point. The state government further highlighted that in the current 2026-2027 irrigation year, catchments upstream of KRS received 488 mm of rainfall, Kabini received 676 mm, and other catchment areas received 78 mm between June 1 and July 27.

“With proper legal grounding and concrete figures, the Tamil Nadu government has approached the Supreme Court this time. Karnataka, which usually releases water only to avoid flooding, will certainly be instructed to release the monthly dues. They cannot escape now, and we are confident that Delta farmers will get a reasonable share of water for irrigation,” said Sami Natarajan, general secretary of the Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam.

He added that inflow into Mettur must remain between 5,000 cusecs and 12,000 cusecs for farmers to decide on proceeding with Samba cultivation. “If water is released at least by August 30, we can take up single-crop samba cultivation, with the Northeast monsoon rains supplementing our water requirements later,” Natarajan noted.

Natarajan stated that if Karnataka releases the due share for June, July, and August following court orders, farmers can successfully cultivate samba even if they skip thalady. “However, the water level at Mettur must reach at least 100 feet before it is released for irrigation. Currently, the level stands at just 78 feet. We hope the Supreme Court issues strong directions and Karnataka releases our due share,” Sami Natarajan further said.

He also urged the state government to announce a special package for Samba cultivation along the lines of the Kuruvai package. “Having largely lost the Kuruvai crop, it is vital that the state government releases a special samba package to support farmers taking up the crop this season,” he added.