Tamil Nadu presses for Cauvery water, SC directs CWMA route

The court flagged that the CWMA was scheduled to meet on August 25. Tamil Nadu would raise the matter there, Vaidyanathan said. The bench asked for an updated report and posted the next hearing for August 31.

Karnataka, in a recent affidavit, said it had overcome a distress year and El Nino conditions to supply water from the Kabini reservoir, thanks to heavy rainfall in the Wayanad catchment in Kerala. Releases from KRS and Kabini reservoirs had been reflected at the inter-state border at Biligundlu, the affidavit said.

Tamil Nadu countered in its own affidavit that Karnataka's water releases were never voluntary compliance. The state had earlier, on August 3, asked the court to direct CWMA to order Karnataka to make good the pro-rata shortfall from June 1 to August 12, then a little over 26 TMC.

The dispute now hinges on the CWMA meeting this week. If the authority does not address the deficit, Tamil Nadu can return to court on August 31.