New Delhi, Aug 12 — The Supreme Court on Wednesday deferred, till August 17, the hearing on Tamil Nadu’s plea seeking directions to Karnataka to release 26.954 tmcft of Cauvery water. The matter was deferred after Chief Justice of India (CJI), Surya Kant, informed the parties that Justice Vikram Nath, who was scheduled to hear the matter on August 13, has fallen ill.
Senior advocate P. Wilson, appearing for Tamil Nadu, also mentioned an application filed by farmers in connection with the Cauvery water dispute.
The CJI agreed to tag the farmers’ application along with the state government’s petition.
The Tamil Nadu government had approached the apex court seeking directions to Karnataka to release 26.954 tmcft of Cauvery water, contending that the neighbouring state had failed to comply with directions issued by the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) and the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).
According to Tamil Nadu’s petition, the CWRC, at its 139th meeting held on July 28, reviewed the hydrological and meteorological conditions in the Cauvery basin and directed Karnataka to ensure a flow of 3,500 cusecs at Biligundlu for 15 days, from July 29 to August 12.
The committee had instructed Karnataka to regulate releases from the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) and Kabini reservoirs to maintain the stipulated flow.
The CWMA, during its 54th emergency meeting held on July 30, examined the basin conditions and endorsed the CWRC’s recommendation.
However, Tamil Nadu alleged that the quantity of water received at Biligundlu after the order was far below its rightful share. The state government submitted that as of August 3, Karnataka’s four major Cauvery basin reservoirs together held 77.537 tmcft of water.
The KRS reservoir had storage of 23.078 tmcft, Kabini 18.610 tmcft, Harangi 7.827 tmcft and Hemavathi 28.022 tmcft, with the total utilisable storage stated to be 67.517 tmcft.
Tamil Nadu argued that with such storage levels, Karnataka would have no difficulty in releasing its proportionate share of water. It also pointed out that heavy rainfall had been recorded in the catchment areas of the KRS and Kabini reservoirs, resulting in a significant improvement in inflows.
The state government maintained that, based on the prevailing hydrological conditions and the prescribed sharing formula, Tamil Nadu should receive 26.954 tmcft of water at Biligundlu.
By contrast, the release directed by the CWMA -- 3,500 cusecs for 15 days -- would amount to only about 4.536 tmcft, which Tamil Nadu described as grossly inadequate.
The Tamil Nadu government has urged the Supreme Court to issue appropriate directions to Karnataka to immediately release the due quantity of 26.954 tmcft of Cauvery water and ensure compliance with the orders of the CWMA and the CWRC.
The matter will now come up for hearing on August 17.