Chennai , 29 July (H.S.): Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president and Virudhunagar MP Manickam Tagore on Wednesday called on the Karnataka government to immediately comply with the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) order directing the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, saying any further delay would jeopardise farming activities in the Cauvery delta.

The Congress leader criticised Karnataka's reported decision to challenge the CWRC directive before the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), arguing that legally binding orders on inter-State water sharing must be implemented without delay. He said attempts to withhold water would only aggravate tensions between the two neighbouring States.

In a post on X, Tagore took exception to Karnataka Water Resources Minister K. Ramalinga Reddy's remarks that the State was not in a position to release water because of drought conditions and was considering an appeal against the CWRC order. Such statements, he said, were unfortunate and risked creating avoidable discord when both States should be working towards a cooperative solution.

Tagore said Tamil Nadu's Kuruvai crop had already suffered because of inadequate Cauvery flows and warned that the upcoming Samba cultivation would also be affected unless water was released immediately. He added that thousands of farmers in the delta region were depending on the timely implementation of the CWRC's directive to sustain agricultural operations.

The CWRC, at its meeting on Tuesday, directed Karnataka to release 4 tmcft of water to Tamil Nadu at the rate of 3,500 cusecs per day for 15 days from July 29. Karnataka has indicated that it is examining the possibility of filing an appeal before the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), citing poor storage levels and drought conditions in the Cauvery basin.

Tagore also highlighted the widening gap between Tamil Nadu's allocated share and the actual water received. According to him, the State had received only 3.543 tmcft against the scheduled allocation of 35.391 tmcft as of July 26, resulting in a significant cumulative shortfall.

He said adherence to the CWRC's direction and the legal framework governing the Cauvery water-sharing arrangement was essential to uphold the rule of law, ensure equitable distribution of river water and preserve the spirit of cooperative federalism.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman