Bengaluru bandh on Sept 26: Why the Cauvery water-sharing issue has flared up again

The protesters argue that water is being released to Tamil Nadu even as the southwest monsoon draws to a close and storage levels are very low in the Cauvery basin reservoirs in Karnataka. The Cauvery is the main source of drinking water for the city of Bengaluru and for the irrigation of farmland in the Mandya region of the state.

The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) — a largely apolitical authority created under the aegis of the Union water resources ministry to oversee the implementation of the 2018 Supreme Court orders — is the central agency that now regulates the dispute between the two states.

Why did a dispute arise despite the 2018 SC verdict?

The contention of political parties in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu is that the Supreme Court order of 2018 has spelt out the water-sharing norms only for a normal monsoon year and not a distress year, like the current one is turning out to be with rainfall over 30 per cent below normal.

The DMK in Tamil Nadu and the Congress and the JDS in Karnataka are calling for the PM’s intervention to create a mechanism for redressal of the dispute in distress years.

The rainfall in August and September, out of the four months of monsoon that began in June, has been the lowest in the last 123 years for Karnataka.

Who called the Bengaluru bandh on September 26?

Several organisations. These include Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, the unions of the state bus transport services, and farmers collectives. They aim to pressure the government into not releasing Cauvery reservoir waters to Tamil Nadu till the CWMA reviews the situation again.

What was the 2018 Supreme Court verdict?

The Supreme Court in its February 2018 order granted an additional share of 14.75 TMC of water to Karnataka and reduced the Tamil Nadu share by the same amount. The additional share given to Karnataka was for drinking water in south Karnataka.

Out of the 740 TMC of Cauvery water to be shared every year, the Supreme Court awarded 404.25 TMC to Tamil Nadu, 284.75 TMC to Karnataka, 30 TMC to Kerala, 7 TMC to Puducherry and 14 TMC for environment protection and wastage into the sea.

The SC also ordered the creation of the CWMA and the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee (CWRC) to adjudicate disputes between the states within the framework of the final court orders.

How has the current crisis evolved?

Under the 2018 SC verdict, Karnataka is supposed to release 123.14 TMC of water to Tamil Nadu between June and September. Karnataka should release a total of 45.95 TMC of water in August and 36.76 TMC in September in a normal monsoon season. This year, Karnataka had released only 40 TMC of water till September 23, citing a distress situation in the state.

In August, Tamil Nadu approached the CWMA to ensure normal supplies. The CWRC, a recommendatory mechanism under the CWMA, then observed that the rainfall in the Cauvery basin in Karnataka was deficient by 26 per cent (by early August). The committee also observed that Karnataka had only released 30.252 TMC of water from June 1 to August 28, as opposed to the stipulated 80.451 TMC in a normal year.

Based on the committee’s recommendations, the CWMA on August 12 initially ordered the release of about 13 TMC of water for 15 days at the rate of 12,000 cusecs per day even as Tamil Nadu sought 25,000 cusecs per day. The CWRC and the CWMA reviewed the monsoon situation again on August 28 and reduced the quantum of release from Karnataka to 5,000 cusecs per day, while Tamil Nadu sought 12,000 cusecs.

Both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka also approached the Supreme Court to challenge the CWMA orders, but on September 21, it upheld the release of 5,000 cusecs until September 26. The Karnataka government has said it will adhere to the SC order till September 26 and then reconsider the situation.

What is the storage situation in the Cauvery basin reservoirs in Karnataka?

The four reservoirs in the Cauvery basin — Krishna Raja Sagar, Kabini, Hemavathy, and Harangi — were at half their storage levels as of September 23. There was a total of 51.1 TMC of water in these reservoirs, as against a total storage capacity of 104.5 TMC.

According to the Karnataka government, the state will need a total of 112 TMC of water (79 TMC for irrigating standing crops and 33 TMC to supply drinking water to Bengaluru) till June 2024. With the southwest monsoon winding up in Karnataka, the remaining water in the Cauvery basin reservoirs must be conserved for drinking water and irrigation purposes, the Congress government has argued.

Karnataka has also argued that Tamil Nadu will receive a large chunk of its rainfall in the retreating northeast monsoon between October and November, whereas Karnataka receives its main rainfall in the southwest monsoon months from June to September.

The Karnataka government is also seeking implementation of the Mekedatu check dam project on the Cauvery to facilitate drinking water storage for Bengaluru and for release of excess water to Tamil Nadu in crisis situations like the present one.

Is the current water crisis unlike those in previous years?

The current Cauvery water crisis is similar to the crises seen in 1991, 2002, 2012, and 2016. The difference, however, is that this one has come after the final resolution of the dispute by the Supreme Court in 2018.

Also, in the past, protests over the Cauvery issue have resulted in violence, on account of mainstream political parties trying to gain currency among the electorate by taking up chauvinistic positions. In recent years, however, politicians in Karnataka have struck a more conciliatory note. This is because with farmers in Mandya cultivating less water-intensive crops and new generations moving away from agriculture, the Cauvery issue is not considered as emotive as it was three decades ago.

In 1991, the Cauvery issue erupted in violence, resulting in the death of nearly 23 people in Karnataka. The state was governed by S Bangarappa of the Congress at the time.

In 2016, when the Congress was in power under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Bengaluru witnessed violence during protests over the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. Two persons were killed in police firing.