What happened: Karnataka and Tamil Nadu raised daily release and distress-allocation demands before CWMA in the Cauvery dispute

In the Cauvery water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu advanced competing calculations for near-term Cauvery water releases through CWMA, within the broader CWRC-linked regulation context.

Karnataka’s argument in the reported dispute context is that Tamil Nadu can receive additional benefit from seasonal rainfall timing. Karnataka stated that Karnataka’s southwest monsoon is its main water source, while the northeast monsoon is expected to benefit Tamil Nadu. Karnataka argued that Tamil Nadu can get a “dual advantage” from Karnataka’s southwest monsoon-linked releases and from later northeast monsoon improvements. Karnataka also pointed to historical patterns where the northeast monsoon can significantly augment Tamil Nadu’s storages in distress years, and Karnataka cited carryover storage for Tamil Nadu from earlier releases.

Karnataka’s argument also focused on delivery losses between ordered release and measured delivery at the inter-State border. The dispute context records CWRC’s daily release reference for Tamil Nadu at 3,500 cusecs. Karnataka’s position is that actual needs may require stepping up releases toward 7,000 cusecs because of transmission losses when river-bed conditions are dry, up to the Biligundlu measuring gauge on the inter-State border.

Tamil Nadu increased its demand for releases and urged CWMA to direct Karnataka to raise releases beyond 3,500 cusecs. Tamil Nadu cited hydrological distress in its basin and sought a higher distress-formula allocation of 9.45 tmcft for the next 15 days. Tamil Nadu also requested daily releases of 7,000 cusecs over the same next 15 days window.

The dispute context also reports that CWMA upheld an earlier CWMA order connected with Cauvery water release for Tamil Nadu.

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