New Delhi, 24 September (H.S.): The long-running dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over the sharing of Cauvery river water has returned to the Supreme Court, with Tamil Nadu seeking directions to secure its allocated share amid an alleged shortfall. The court has asked Karnataka to file its response within a week. The matter will be heard next on October 12.

The case came up before a Bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, with both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka presenting their respective positions.

Senior advocate C.S. Vaidyanathan, appearing for Tamil Nadu, submitted that Karnataka had been withholding water due to Tamil Nadu, resulting in significant losses to the state’s kharif crop because of inadequate water availability. He also questioned the role of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC).

Vaidyanathan told the court that, according to Tamil Nadu’s assessment, the state was facing a water deficit of 20 thousand million cubic feet (TMC), while Karnataka had assessed the shortfall at 16 TMC. He argued that the authorities were not taking adequate steps to make good the deficit and were directing the release of only nominal quantities of water.

He submitted that any delay in addressing the shortfall could cause substantial losses, particularly as the monsoon season was nearing its end. Tamil Nadu therefore sought directions to the CWMA to make up for the alleged deficit.

Representing Karnataka, senior advocate Shyam Divan countered that the state itself was facing severe drought conditions. Despite this, he said, Karnataka was complying with the directions of the authorities and releasing water. He told the court that the state had released 6,000 cusecs of water.

Divan further submitted that the southwest monsoon was already receding and Karnataka could not expect significant rainfall from the retreating monsoon, whereas Tamil Nadu was expected to benefit from it.

After hearing the submissions from both sides, the Bench observed that Tamil Nadu had raised several serious issues that required a response from Karnataka. The court accordingly granted Karnataka one week to file its reply and listed the matter for further hearing on October 12.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar