Tamil Nadu demands Karnataka release 17,604 tmcft Cauvery water backlog

Tamil Nadu has petitioned the Supreme Court to direct Karnataka to release 17,604 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of accumulated Cauvery water, arguing that farmers in the state's delta region are facing acute hardship due to the shortfall. The petition contends that delta farmers are being denied their rightful share of water from the interstate river despite established allocation agreements. Tamil Nadu has alleged that both the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee (CWRC) and the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) have failed to adequately consider the substantial backlog of water owed to the state. The accumulated deficit represents water that should have been released to Tamil Nadu under the existing allocation framework but remains unpaid by the upper riparian state. The Supreme Court has scheduled the next hearing on the protracted Cauvery water dispute for August 31, when it is expected to examine Tamil Nadu's plea alongside other pending matters in the case. The Cauvery water sharing dispute has remained contentious between the two states for decades, with Tamil Nadu's predominantly agricultural delta region depending critically on timely water releases for irrigation and cultivation.