Supreme Court Advises Tamil Nadu to Approach CWMA Regarding Proportionate Cauvery Water Share

The Supreme Court advised the Tamil Nadu government on Monday to take up its contention with the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) that it has yet to be given the proportionate quantity of Cauvery water due from Karnataka.

Appearing before a Bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath, senior advocate C.S. Vaidyanathan, representing Tamil Nadu, submitted that the CWMA is not giving directions to make up the proportionate quantity that the State must receive. In response, Justice Nath stated that Tamil Nadu must raise the issue with the CWMA itself, adding that the matter before the court concerned Karnataka not releasing water at all.

During the proceedings, Vaidyanathan noted that the State had received some water by morning, though it was in deficit previously. Senior advocate G. Umapathy, also appearing for Tamil Nadu, stated that the shortfall of water according to the pro-rata formula stood at 17.414 TMC as of August 23. Vaidyanathan further mentioned that the state reservoirs held about 78 TMC.

The court acknowledged Vaidyanathan's submission that the CWMA was meeting on August 25, during which the State intended to raise the issue before the Authority. The court sought an updated report and posted the case for further hearing on August 31.

In a recently filed affidavit in the apex court, Karnataka maintained that it had overcome the challenges of a distress year and worsening El Nino conditions to ensure water supply from its Kabini reservoir. The State attributed this to large inflows resulting from good rainfall in the Wayanad area above the Kabini catchment in Kerala, adding that releases from the KRS and Kabini reservoirs were reflected at the inter-State border at Biligundlu.

Conversely, Tamil Nadu argued in an additional affidavit that Karnataka's release of water was never voluntary compliance. Previously, on August 3, Tamil Nadu had urged the court to direct the CWMA to issue appropriate directions to Karnataka to make good the shortfall on a pro-rata basis at the inter-State point of Biligundulu for the period from June 1 to August 12, seeking a release of a little over 26 TMC of water at the time.

"Interstate resource sharing and regulatory compliance are critical operational factors that directly impact regional commerce, agriculture, and industry. When institutional mechanisms like the Cauvery Water Management Authority are utilized to resolve allocation deficits, it provides structured governance and predictability for dependent business ecosystems. Companies and stakeholders operating in regions affected by resource dependencies must continuously monitor regulatory developments and maintain contingency planning to mitigate operational disruptions." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes