The Karnataka minister said no Cauvery water was released from the Krishnaraja Sagar Dam to Tamil Nadu in June or July, despite allegations from farmer groups and BJP leaders.
MANDYA (KARNATAKA), August 15: Karnataka Minister N. Chaluvarayaswamy on Saturday rejected allegations that the state government had released Cauvery water from the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) Dam to Tamil Nadu.
The minister said no water was released from KRS for Tamil Nadu during June or July, responding to claims made by some farmer leaders and BJP leaders.
‘No Water Released to Tamil Nadu’
Chaluvarayaswamy said Karnataka was expected to begin releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu from June under the existing water-sharing arrangements, but the state did not release water during either June or July.
“No water has been released from the KRS Dam for Tamil Nadu. We are supposed to release water to Tamil Nadu from June itself. But we did not release water in June or July,” he said.
Allegations by Farmers and BJP Leaders
The minister’s clarification came after some farmer organisations and BJP leaders alleged that Karnataka had released water from the KRS reservoir to Tamil Nadu.
The issue is politically sensitive because the Cauvery river water-sharing dispute has historically triggered tensions between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, particularly during periods of inadequate rainfall and low reservoir levels.
The KRS reservoir is one of Karnataka’s key water sources and plays an important role in meeting the state’s irrigation and drinking-water requirements, while downstream Tamil Nadu depends heavily on Cauvery flows.
Cauvery Water Dispute
The latest controversy comes as Karnataka and Tamil Nadu continue to closely monitor rainfall, reservoir storage and downstream water availability.
Any decision on releasing water to Tamil Nadu can become a politically contentious issue in Karnataka, particularly when farmers are concerned about water availability for irrigation.
For now, Chaluvarayaswamy’s statement makes Karnataka’s position clear: the state government denies releasing Cauvery water from KRS to Tamil Nadu during June and July.
