H.D. Kumaraswamy terms CWRC order ‘death knell’ for Karnataka, seeks better rainwater storage

Published 29 July 2026 · india

Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy has said that the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee’s (CWRC) direction to release 3,500 cusecs of water

Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy has said that the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee’s (CWRC) direction to release 3,500 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu will prove to be Karnataka’s “death knell”. Speaking to the media at Mavinakere in Holenarasipur taluk on Wednesday, he said Karnataka was facing acute scarcity of water owing to a poor monsoon. “Farmers are already struggling owing to the shortage of water, and the State is concerned about ensuring adequate drinking water supplies. In such a situation, directing Karnataka to release water to a neighbouring State is neither scientific nor practical,” he said. Kumaraswamy warned that the situation would worsen if the State did not receive adequate rainfall.

He called upon political parties, farmers’ organisations and the public to unite in opposing the CWRC’s directive. “Farmers and various organisations have already launched protests. Tamil Nadu is exerting pressure when Karnataka itself is facing a severe water shortage. We must effectively present the State’s ground reality before the Cauvery authorities,” he said. Kumaraswamy said he would not find fault with the State’s legal experts or officials, but stressed the need for introspection on how water resources had been managed over the years. He noted that Karnataka’s reservoirs had filled up three times last year owing to good rainfall. “That was the time to fill lakes and tanks across the State as a precautionary measure.

Had the Irrigation Department and the State government acted on time, more water could have been stored. Instead, excess water was allowed to flow out. Even Tamil Nadu failed to utilise surplus rainwater and let it flow into the sea. We are now facing the consequences of those decisions,” he said. Expressing concern that the Cauvery dispute resurfaces repeatedly, Mr. Kumaraswamy said neither Karnataka nor Tamil Nadu appeared to have learnt lessons from previous crises. “In years of good rainfall, we should conserve as much water as possible,” he said. Kumaraswamy said Karnataka must act within the constitutional and legal framework while safeguarding the interests of its farmers and ensuring that the people of the State do not face hardship.

“We are part of a federal system. The reality is that Karnataka has suffered injustice in matters relating to Cauvery water for many years. Instead of indulging in political blame games, we must prioritise prudent water management and take legally sustainable steps to protect the interests of our farmers and people,” he said. Kumaraswamy was at Haradanahalli to oversee the preparations for the post-funeral rituals of his mother Chennamma Deve Gowda, to be held at Mavinakere on Thursday. Hundreds of people from Holenarsipur and neighbouring taluks are expected to part in the programme. The family members of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda have made elaborate arrangements for the event.