Cauvery Dispute: SC refuses to pass any interim direction on water release issue

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to pass any interim direction on the plea filed by Tamil Nadu demanding the release of Cauvery water from Karnataka dams.

"We do not possess any expertise in the matter... it will be appropriate that CWMA (Cauvery Water Management Authority) submit its report as to whether the directions issued for discharge of water has been complied or not," ordered a bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai, P.S. Narasimha and Prashant Kumar Mishra, while calling for a report from the CWMA by September 1.

In its application, Tamil Nadu has sought direction from the top court to Karnataka to ensure the stipulated releases for the month of August and September as per the award of the Cauvery Tribunal award as modified by the Supreme Court in 2018.

On the other hand, the Karnataka government told the Supreme Court that Tamil Nadu's application demanding release of water from river Cauvery is wholly misconceived as it is based on an erroneous assumption that this water year is a normal water year and not a distressed water year.

An affidavit filed by State's Water Resources Department said that Karnataka is not obliged to ensure water prescribed for a normal year because a distress condition has arisen in the Cauvery basin due to the failure of the southwest monsoon.

(With inputs from IANS)