Tamil Nadu had filed an additional affidavit in the Supreme Court recently, arguing that Karnataka’s release of water was “never voluntary compliance”. File.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The Supreme Court advised the Tamil Nadu government on Monday (August 24, 2026) to take up its contention that it was yet to be given the “proportionate” quantity of Cauvery water due from Karnataka with the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).Appearing before a Bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath, senior advocate C.S. Vaidyanathan, for Tamil Nadu, submitted that the “Cauvery Water Management Authority is not giving directions to make up the proportionate quantity I (Tamil Nadu) must receive”.Then Tamil Nadu must raise the issue with the CWMA itself, Justice Nath said, adding that “here the issue was about Karnataka not giving you water at all”.“As of morning, we have got some water. It was in deficit yesterday,” Mr. Vaidyanathan said.The shortfall of water as per the pro rata formula was 17.414 TMC (thousand million cubic feet)as of August 23, senior advocate G. Umapathy, for Tamil Nadu, said.“Today, they have about 78 TMC in the reservoirs,” Mr. Vaidyanathan said.The court noted Mr. Vaidyanathan’s submission that the CWMA was meeting on August 25, 2026, and the State would raise the issue before the authority.The court sought an updated report and posted the case for further hearing on August 31, 2026.An affidavit filed by Karnataka in the apex court recently had submitted that the State was able to overcome the challenges of a distress year and worsening El Niño conditions to ensure the supply of water from its Kabini reservoir due to large inflows following good rainfall in the Wayanad area, which lies in Kerala, above the Kabini catchment.“The releases from the KRS (Krishna Raja Sagara) and Kabini reservoirs have already been reflected at the inter-State border at Biligundlu,” Karnataka had maintained in the affidavit.However, Tamil Nadu had filed an additional affidavit in the Supreme Court recently, arguing 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, on a pro rata basis, the shortfall at the inter-State point of Billigundulu for the period from June 1 to August 12, and in this regard release, at the time, a little over 26 TMC of water. Published - August 24, 2026 06:33 pm IST
