Karnataka Limits Cauvery Water Release to Tamil Nadu Amid Ongoing Crisis

The Karnataka government decides to release only 8,000 cusecs of water from the Cauvery River to Tamil Nadu, instead of the previously mandated one thousand million cubic meters, following an all-party meeting at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru.

The Karnataka government has announced that it will release only 8,000 cusecs of water from the Cauvery River to Tamil Nadu, a significant reduction from the previously mandated one thousand million cubic meters. The decision came after an all-party meeting convened at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Sunday.

The meeting was attended by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, BJP leader CT Ravi, and other notable state leaders. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated, "During today's all-party meeting, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, BJP leaders, and Mysuru basin leaders expressed that we should appeal before the CWMA and cannot afford to release 1 TMC every day. Based on legal advice, we have decided to release 8,000 cusecs of water, which will be increased if rainfall improves."

Deputy CM DK Shivakumar explained, "Given the current water shortage, we have a 30% deficit. Therefore, we will appeal to the monitoring committee while ensuring the interests of our farmers are protected." This decision follows a March 2024 report indicating that a severe water crisis looms over Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka, with over 7,000 villages and numerous urban wards facing vulnerability.