The Cauvery Water Management Authority has directed Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to maintain the status quo on water release from the Cauvery basin and to use available storage strictly for drinking water. The directive matters because weak rainfall in the basin has reduced operational flexibility and has again placed inter-state water sharing under strain.
What happened
The Cauvery Water Management Authority directors expressed concern over poor rainfall in the Cauvery basin. The authority asked both States to use current storage strictly for drinking water.
The Cauvery Water Management Authority warned against using stored water for purposes other than drinking water, including irrigation. The authority linked the direction to an India Meteorological Department forecast indicating continued difficulty because of poor rainfall in the coming days.
Background and earlier position
The Cauvery Water Management Authority is the apex body for implementing Cauvery water-release arrangements as per the Supreme Court verdict on the Cauvery dispute. The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee is scheduled to review the matter again on July 28.
Related current affairs
- Why did Cauvery panel order Karnataka to release water?
- Cauvery Water Management Authority upholds order directing release of Cauvery water to T.N.
- A dry spell along the Cauvery river
- Downpour eases tension over Cauvery water sharing
- Release Cauvery water to T.N., panel tells Karnataka
- India’s PM reviews; Karnataka vs Tamil Nadu over Cauvery releases (CWMA/CWRC context)