Amid protests, Cauvery Water Regulation Committee recommends Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu from September 28

New Delhi: The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) in a meeting held here on Tuesday recommended Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs of water everyday to Tamil Nadu starting September 28.

The development came after the committee held a round of talks on the contentious issue and this coincides with the pro-Kannada, farmers and the Opposition protests in Karnataka over releasing Cauvery river water to the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. The Committee which met on Tuesday recommended the Karnataka government to release water for 18 days from September 28.

The submission made by Karnataka highlighted the scarcity of water in the state and the droughts. "The Government of Karnataka in the order dated September 13 has declared 161 talukas in the state as severely drought-affected and 34 talukas as moderately drought-affected. Out of this, 32 severely drought-affected talukas and 15 moderately drought-affected talukas fall in the Cauvery basin. This aspect needs utmost recognition and invites critical consideration by the committee,” the submission said.

The submission further stated that Karnataka was not in a position to release any water from its reservoirs or contribute any flows from its reservoirs to the flows to be maintained at the interstate border of Biligundlu.

Last week, Karantaka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar along with other officials met in New Delhi and informed the media personnel that the Karnataka is not in a condition to release water to Tamil Nadu and that they'll explain this to the Centre and the Supreme Court.

The CWRC’s direction has come as a major shock to the Karnataka that is facing severe protests throughout the old Mysore region. While the band called by organisations in Karnataka continues, farmers in Tamil Nadu are also protesting and expressed their dissatisfaction by stuffing a dead rat in their mouths.