Cauvery Water Dispute: Here Is Why Tamil Nadu And Karnataka Are At Odds

Karnataka Police have increased security in Tamil-dominated areas in the state, including in the capital, Bengaluru, as the protests over the Cauvery water sharing continue to spread.

What is behind protests in Karnataka

Karnataka has been witnessing protests for the past few days, which escalated on Thursday after the Supreme Court refused to interfere in an order of Cauvery Water Regulation Committee under which the state must release 5,000 cusecs of water per day to neighbouring Tamil Nadu for 15 days.

BCCL

What Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have argued

The Tamil Nadu government had approached the apex court seeking an increase in the share of water to 7,200 cusecs from 5,000 cusecs per day. However, the court refused to interfere in the CWMA orders.

Karnataka approached the apex court seeking a direction to the CWMA to reconsider its order to release 5,000 cusecs to Tamil Nadu.

BCCL

Karnataka has been maintaining that it is not in a position to release water, taking into account its own need for drinking water and irrigation in the Cauvery basin areas, as there has been water scarcity due to deficit monsoon rains.

Why did the Supreme Court refuse to interfere

A bench of Justices BR Gavai, PS Narasimha and Prashant Kumar Mishra noted on Thursday that bodies like CWMA and Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee (CWRC), which have experts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), and those on agriculture and water resource management, have considered all relevant aspects like drought, deficit rainfall, water level in the river and only then passed the order.

BCCL

"We are therefore of the considered view that the factors which have been taken into consideration by both the authorities cannot be said to be irrelevant or extraneous. In that view, we are not inclined to interfere with the orders," the bench said.

Karnataka had earlier told the Supreme Court that there "exists a severe drought situation both in Cauvery and Krishna basins", and releasing more water from the reservoirs in Karnataka after September 12 would not be feasible.

BCCL

"We have only 53 tmc of water availability. For drinking water purposes, 30 tmc is required, to save standing crops 70 tmc and for industries 3 tmc water is needed. There is no water with us to release," Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had said earlier.

How Cauvery water sharing became an issue

The matter has been a controversial issue between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for decades. They have been locked in a battle over sharing water from the Cauvery River, a primary irrigation and drinking water source for millions of people in the region.

BCCL

The Centre formed the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) on June 2, 1990, to adjudicate disputes between Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Puducherry concerning the water-sharing capacities.

For more on the news, sports, and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.