Will maintain present Cauvery water outflow: Minister Cheluvarayaswamy

Key points

• The bench, for its part, directed continued compliance with CWMA orders and urged a status report, setting the next hearing…
• BENGALURU: Karnataka’s Water Resources Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy.
• “We were prepared to approach the CWMA for a review and request them to reconsider the water release.
• With the next hearing a week away and the monsoon’s trajectory still uncertain, Karnataka’s position – comply for now, contest…

BENGALURU: Karnataka’s Water Resources Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy. This person took over from Ramalinga Reddy, signalled that the state has little room to manoeuvre for now, indicating it will maintain the existing water-release position—the status quo— until the Supreme Court’s next hearing, even as the government keeps its options open with the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).

“We were prepared to approach the CWMA for a review and request them to reconsider the water release. They are disposing of the application today, and once it is disposed of, we will approach them again. Since the status quo has been maintained until next Monday, we have to continue with the existing position,” Cheluvarayaswamy said.

The statement marks a shift in tone from just five days earlier. After the CWMA upheld the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee’s (CWRC) direction to release 12,000 cusecs/day for 15 days, the minister had struck a far more combative note— calling the order “too difficult to implement” and estimating it would require releasing roughly 15 TMC of water, on August 12.

He had argued that drinking water needs should take priority in what he described as a distress situation, noted that Tamil Nadu was comparatively better placed on drinking-water storage, and flagged poor rainfall forecasts for the rest of the monsoon as grounds for Karnataka to approach the Supreme Court.

While noting that inflows had actually picked up – crossing 12,000 cusecs that highly morning, thanks to better rainfall, on August 17, Karnataka’s counsel told the Supreme Court that the state was endeavouring to meet the directed releases despite the difficulties involved. The bench, for its part, directed continued compliance with CWMA orders and urged a status report, setting the next hearing for around August 24.

With the next hearing a week away and the monsoon’s trajectory still uncertain, Karnataka’s position – comply for now, contest where possible – looks probable to be tested again soon.