Tamil Nadu Seeks Central Government Support To Resolve Cauvery Water Dispute With Karnataka

DMK Rajya Sabha member Tiruchi Siva revealed on Sunday that the Tamil Nadu government is actively seeking the support of the Central government to peacefully resolve the ongoing Cauvery water dispute with Karnataka. According to Mr. Siva, Tamil Nadu is diligently following the directives set forth by the Supreme Court and the Cauvery tribunal's award. The state is pursuing all possible legal avenues and actively engaging with the Union government, including the Jal Shakti Minister, as well as utilizing various channels to find an amicable resolution to this long-standing issue. He emphasized that Tamil Nadu's primary objective is to secure water for its farmers and not to engage in disputes with any other state.

The Cauvery dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka has escalated in recent times, triggered by protests from farmers' organizations in Karnataka who argue that inadequate rainfall in the Cauvery basin this year has left the state's reservoirs with insufficient water. The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) directed Karnataka to release 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu for a duration of 15 days, starting from September 13. Although the Karnataka government contested this directive in the Supreme Court, the Court upheld the CWMA's decision, emphasizing that it cannot interfere with the tribunal's award and that Tamil Nadu should receive its rightful share of Cauvery water.

Mr. Siva highlighted the disparity between Karnataka's argument of water scarcity in the Cauvery and Tamil Nadu's distress due to reduced water releases as the riparian state. He commended Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin's diplomatic handling of the Cauvery issue and expressed hope that the state would soon receive its fair allocation of water.

In the midst of these developments, farmers in Karnataka's Mandya continued their protests to prevent the release of water from Karnataka dams to Tamil Nadu. Conversely, a group of farmers in Trichy, Tamil Nadu, staged a protest demanding the release of the Cauvery water.

The Supreme Court, comprising Justices BR Gavai, PS Narasimha, and Prashant Kumar Mishra, recently declined to intervene in the Cauvery water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Court acknowledged that both the CWMA and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) are regularly convening to monitor water requirements every 15 days. Additionally, the Court rejected an application by the Tamil Nadu government to increase its current daily share of Cauvery water from 5,000 to 7,200 cusecs, citing that Tamil Nadu had sought fresh directions for the release of Cauvery River water from Karnataka, alleging that Karnataka had deviated from the previously agreed-upon water release.