Cauvery Water Regulation Committee orders Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water a day for 15 days to Tamil Nadu
The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee has ordered Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu for 15 days. Karnataka officials are considering an appeal, citing severe drought conditions and low reservoir levels in the Cauvery basin.
Why it matters
Water sharing disputes between Indian states are a recurring source of political and social tension, exacerbated by climate-driven rainfall deficits.
The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC), which met in Delhi on Tuesday (July 28, 2026), has directed Karnataka to release 4 tmcft of water to Tamil Nadu at a rate of 3,500 cusecs a day for 15 days.
Expressing concern over the CWRC order that has come when the State is gripped by serious drought , Karnataka Water Resources Minister K. Ramalinga Reddy has said the State would examine the possibility of filing an appeal before the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), which is the apex body that monitors implementation of Cauvery water release, against the CWRC order.
He said he would take a final call on the issue after discussing with Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and officials concerned. He maintained that current storage in the four reservoirs of Karnataka’s Cauvery basin was sufficient to take care of only drinking water requirements .
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