Tamil Nadu recorded its lowest ever July realisation of Cauvery water in nearly five decades this year, receiving just 0.698 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) against its stipulated share of 31.24 tmcft, The Hindu reported.
According to the report, this is the worst July for the state in terms of Cauvery water received over the last several decades. The previous lowest July realisation at the Biligundulu gauging station was 2.441 tmcft in 2003. Other years that saw significantly low inflows include 1976, when the state received 4.285 tmcft, 1987, when it received 3.392 tmcft, and 2012, when it received 4.153 tmcft.
Since the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal’s final award came into force in 2013, inflows have been measured at the Biligundulu gauging station on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border. Before 2013, the Mettur dam served as the reference point.
The High Level Technical Team on Cauvery, constituted by the Supreme Court in 2016, reportedly found that the average July inflow at Biligundulu stood at 36.871 tmcft over 25 years and 39.087 tmcft over 42 years, underscoring the severity of this year’s shortfall.
On August 3, the Tamil Nadu government told the Supreme Court in an application that the state had received only 3.687 tmcft of Cauvery water at Biligundulu as of August 2. This includes 2.915 tmcft in June, 0.698 tmcft in July, and 0.074 tmcft in August.
The unprecedented shortfall comes amid a weak southwest monsoon in the Cauvery catchment areas of Karnataka.
The state’s Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara had said that the state is battling the worst drought in 150 years. In a Facebook post, he wrote, “Karnataka is facing a deepening drought crisis that demands urgent and united action. With 169 taluks seeking drought assistance, 90% of districts and 630 hoblis recording deficient or severely deficient rainfall, the time has come for every elected representative from Karnataka to stand together and secure the support our state deserves.”