Cauvery dispute: Rain-starved Karnataka files affidavit against Tamil Nadu in SC

On August 25, the Supreme Court heard Tamil Nadu's application regarding the Cauvery water dispute and decided to postpone the next hearing to September 1, which is scheduled for the upcoming Friday. The Court said that it is not an expert in this field and recommended that the Cauvery River Management Authority conduct a meeting in the interim.

Karnataka has been grappling with drought conditions after the cessation of rains. In response to the plea, Karnataka had submitted a 26-page affidavit to the Supreme Court, countering Tamil Nadu's claims and urging the dismissal of the application.

Tamil Nadu moves Supreme Court over Cauvery dispute with Karnataka

Tamil Nadu's recent application in the Supreme Court seeks a directive for Karnataka to release 24,000 cusecs of water daily from the Cauvery River. The case will be heard by a three-member bench led by Justice Gawai. 

Karnataka's Additional Chief Secretary of Water Resources, Rakesh Singh, presented an affidavit highlighting the steps taken and measures pursued by Tamil Nadu in the Cauvery water issue. 

The affidavit also addresses the accused violations of regulations by Tamil Nadu and its deletion of crucial data from the Cauvery River Water Management Authority meetings.

Karnataka faces a significant rainfall deficit of 42% in the Cauvery basin. This deficit was a subject of discussion in the Cauvery Water Management Authority meeting. Despite this, Tamil Nadu is requesting 36.76 TMC of water in both the current water year and a typical year. 

Karnataka pointed out that Tamil Nadu is partially responsible for the water-related challenges and has raised concerns about the Mekedatu project, which could provide water to Tamil Nadu during rain-deficient years. The project is anticipated to yield around 13 TMC of water for this purpose.

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Presently, there is 96 TMC of water in Tamil Nadu reservoirs, while Karnataka's Kaveri holds a lesser amount that doesn't even meet the drinking water needs of Bengaluru. 

Despite this, Karnataka has diverted water to Tamil Nadu in compliance with the authority's instructions. Karnataka has released 26 TMC of water to Tamil Nadu until August 22. Additionally, Karnataka's affidavit accuses Tamil Nadu of cultivating Kuruvai crops in excessive areas beyond the court-ordered limit of 1.85 lakh acres, which serves as a key point for higher demands for water.