Direct Karnataka to release backlog of 17.604 tmcft Cauvery water: T.N. to Supreme Court
The Tamil Nadu government has petitioned the Supreme Court to order Karnataka to release 17.604 tmcft of Cauvery water. The state argues that local farmers are suffering due to inadequate water storage for irrigation during the current season.
Why it matters
Water sharing disputes between Indian states are a recurring source of political and economic tension that impacts agricultural livelihoods.
The Tamil Nadu government approached the Supreme Court on Sunday (August 30, 2026), seeking a direction to Karnataka to release 17.604 tmcft of water from the Cauvery River, the balance quantity as of August 27, based on the pro-rata formula.
The State, in a supplementary affidavit settled by senior advocate G. Umapathy and re-settled by C.S. Vaidyanathan, also urged the court to order Karnataka to release 9,000 cusecs of water between August 26 and September 8, as directed by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) in its 56th meeting.
It further sought the top court’s intervention to direct Karnataka to make good the shortfall between the flows ensured at Billigundulu, a riverside village on the border between the two States, and the flows that the CWMA had directed to take place between August 27 and August 30.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in