Cauvery Crisis: DMK Moves Supreme Court Seeking Urgent Water Release From Karnataka To Tamil Nadu

Published 1 August 2026 · india

Cauvery Crisis: DMK Moves Supreme Court Seeking Urgent Water Release From Karnataka To Tamil Nadu Published By, Last Updated: August 01, 2026, 21:46 IST The

Cauvery Crisis: DMK Moves Supreme Court Seeking Urgent Water Release From Karnataka To Tamil Nadu Published By, Last Updated: August 01, 2026, 21:46 IST The DMK said farmers in Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruchirappalli and other Cauvery delta districts are suffering because of the non-release of water. The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) has recently instructed Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu for 15 days. (Photo: PTI file) The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has moved the Supreme Court seeking urgent release of Cauvery river water by Karnataka to Tamil Nadu, saying the state has failed to comply with recent directions issued by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA). The plea seeks implementation of the CWMA’s order directing Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water per day for 15 days at the inter-state border at Biligundlu. DMK is represented in the case by Thiru AKS Vijayan, who owns agricultural land in the Cauvery Delta and says he has been directly affected by the non-release of water. What the CWMA directed The CWMA recently upheld the decision of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC), which directed Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu for 15 days. According to the application, Karnataka challenged the CWRC’s direction before the CWMA and sought a two-week deferment.

However, after considering improved inflows and other factors, the CWMA upheld the order, stating that releasing the water would not affect Karnataka’s drinking water requirements. The DMK has told the Supreme Court that Karnataka has not complied with the direction. It also claimed that representatives of the state government have publicly stated that Karnataka will not release the water. Long-running Cauvery dispute The application recalls that the Cauvery water dispute dates back to 1974, when Karnataka, the upper riparian state, began diverting water without Tamil Nadu’s consent. The dispute later reached the Supreme Court after the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal finalised the water-sharing formula in 2007. The tribunal’s award was issued on February 5, 2007, and notified by the Centre on February 19, 2013. Besides deciding water sharing, the tribunal recommended the creation of the Cauvery Water Management Board and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee. In 2018, the Supreme Court modified the tribunal’s award and directed Karnataka to release 177.25 TMC of water annually to Tamil Nadu at Biligundlu instead of 192 TMC. Farmers facing hardship, says DMK According to the fresh application, Karnataka must ensure monthly releases totalling 167.25 TMC between June and January every year under the tribunal’s order as modified by the Supreme Court. The application states that around 14.913 lakh acres of farmland, nearly 4 million farmers and about 10 million agricultural labourers depend on water stored in the Mettur reservoir, which receives water released by Karnataka.