Explained: What is Cauvery water dispute?

The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), on 18 September 2023, issued instructions to Karnataka to continue to release 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu for an additional 15 days. However, officials stated there was a lack of available water to fulfil the order. Karnataka contended that low rainfall in the Cauvery catchment area has led to inadequate inflow of water in its reservoirs.

What is the Cauvery water dispute? 

The Cauvery water dispute is a long-standing conflict between the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over the sharing of the water resources of the Cauvery River. The Cauvery River is a major river in South India that flows through the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry. It is a lifeline for the people of these states, providing water for drinking, irrigation, and power generation.

The 150-year-old Cauvery water conflict rests in two agreements in 1892 and 1924 between two Indian states Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka dates back to the British colonial period.

History of the dispute

Let us look at the history of the Cauvery water dispute in brief:

1892 Agreement

In 1892, the British government signed an agreement with the rulers of Mysore (present-day Karnataka) and Madras (present-day Tamil Nadu), allocating water from the Cauvery River between the two states.

1924 Agreement 

The agreement allowed Mysore to build the Kannambadi dam. During the same time, Madras also proposed an irrigation project. The agreement was intended to stay in effect for the next 50 years. The agreement allocated 75 per cent of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and Puducherry while 23 per cent to Mysore and the remainder flowing into Kerala (then known as Travancore).

Post India’s Independence

After India's independence in 1947, the dispute became even more contentious as both states sought to expand their irrigation and industrial sectors. In 1956, the states of Mysore and Madras were reorganized under the States Reorganization Act, and the Cauvery River basin was divided between the two new states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. This further complicated the dispute, as both states now claimed a greater share of the river's water.

In 1990, the central government of India set up the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) to adjudicate the dispute. The CWDT gave its final verdict in 2007, allocating 419 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water to Tamil Nadu, 270 TMC to Karnataka, 30 TMC to Kerala, and 7 TMC to Puducherry. The tribunal also directed Karnataka to release a certain amount of water to Tamil Nadu every month, depending on the availability of water in the river basin.

In 2018, the Supreme Court also issued a unanimous judgement, decreasing the annual share of water release of Karnataka from 192 tmc to 177.25 tmc ft. It also reduced the share of water release of Tamil Nadu. As per the Court’s order, the Cauvery Water Management Authority was set up to implement the judgement.

Also read: Cauvery Water Dispute: Find out Why Karnataka and Tamil Nadu fighting?