The Supreme Court on Monday directed Karnataka to ensure compliance with the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s (CWMA) directions on releasing water to Tamil Nadu, while deciding to wait another week to assess whether the state continues to honour the water-sharing order, noting that Tamil Nadu currently had sufficient water and no immediate intervention was required.
A bench of justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta fixed the matter for hearing after a week, seeking an updated status on the release of Cauvery water by Karnataka. The bench was hearing Tamil Nadu’s plea seeking implementation of the CWMA’s decision directing Karnataka to release water to the state.
Senior advocate CS Vaidyanathan, appearing for Tamil Nadu, told the court that Karnataka was not complying with the authority’s directions and that Tamil Nadu was “not seeing the water”, leaving it unable to release water to farmers.
It sought directions to ensure that the stipulated flow reached the inter-state border at Biligundlu and that Karnataka made good the accumulated shortfall. As of this morning it has exceeded 12,000 and those gates have been opened,” Divan maintained. Tamil Nadu approached the Supreme Court alleging that Karnataka had willfully failed to comply even with the earlier direction to release 3,500 cusecs a day from July 29. Karnataka, in a reply filed before the court, disputed Tamil Nadu’s calculation of a shortfall and said it in fact released substantially more water than mandated between July 29 and August 10.
Because god has been kind and flow has come, “We are not releasing any water, it is.
He assured the court that Karnataka would endeavour to maintain the 12,000-cusecs flow directed by the CWMA, though it would be “very difficult” for the state. Divan also submitted that two expert bodies applied their minds to the issue and issued directions and, therefore, the role of the Supreme Court should be “very minimal”.
