New Delhi [India], July 15 : At the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) meeting held on Wednesday, Karnataka stated that it cannot release water to Tamil Nadu due to a severe shortage in the Cauvery basin, Karnataka Irrigation Minister Ramalinga Reddy's office stated.
Karnataka officials told the committee that there was no rainfall in the Cauvery catchment in June and there was zero inflow into reservoirs.
"There has been some rain in a few places in July, and a small quantity of water has been stored in the dams. But there is no forecast of the monsoon picking up again," the Karnataka officials said.
Karnataka argued that the water currently stored must be used only for drinking purposes. "There is no water stored in our dams. The water available now is limited to drinking. Karnataka is facing a rainfall deficit the likes of which we have never seen before," the state submitted.
Tamil Nadu, however, insisted that water should be released as per the Supreme Court verdict.
According to Ramalinga Reddy's office, the CWRC did not issue any directions to either state. The committee noted that there is a possibility of rainfall and said the next meeting will be held on July 28, officials stated.
The meeting was held in a hybrid mode at the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) office in New Delhi.
The fresh conflict arose after Tamil Nadu had demanded that Karnataka release Cauvery water to the state, which Karnataka refused, citing less rainfall and lower storage of water.
The Supreme Court had ordered Karnataka in 2018 to release 177.25 TMC of water to Tamil Nadu in order to resolve the long-standing Cauvery River water dispute.
After defining the share of water in its 2018 judgement, in September 2023, the Supreme Court observed that the CWRC had passed an order, which was affirmed by the CWMA and directed Karnataka to release 5000 cusec water per day from Krishnarajasagar and Kabini put together, in Biligundulu, Tamil Nadu, for 15 days.
Meanwhile, the two states are also in dispute over Karnataka's proposed Mekedatu Dam. The Tamil Nadu Assembly has passed a resolution opposing the dam.