Cauvery Water Deficit Hits Farmers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Amid Dry Spell

A weak south-west monsoon and depleted reservoir levels have triggered severe agricultural distress across the Cauvery basin, impacting farming communities in both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. With dam inflows failing to meet normal seasonal patterns, cultivators who sowed water-intensive crops such as paddy and sugarcane are confronting acute irrigation shortages, while authorities struggle to balance drinking water requirements with interstate river-sharing commitments.

What Happened

In Karnataka, many farmers in Mandya and Mysuru districts raised nurseries for water-heavy crops following a temporary monsoon revival in early August, which raised Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) reservoir levels from 93-94 feet to 109 feet, against a maximum capacity of 124.8 feet. However, inflows stagnated, leaving farmers located at the tail end of the Visvesvaraya canal system without regular supply. In response to the shortfall, the Cauvery Irrigation Advisory Committee, chaired by Water Resources Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy, resolved on August 19 to provide canal water in four rotational cycles of roughly 15 days on and 15 days off rather than maintaining continuous discharge.

To conserve water for urban drinking needs, Karnataka also approached the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) on August 11 to lower its mandatory daily releases to Tamil Nadu from 12,000 cusecs to 10,000 cusecs. Meanwhile, in Tamil Nadu’s Cauvery delta, storage at the Mettur dam remained at approximately 85 feet compared to its 120-foot capacity. Because of the low storage and inadequate early monsoon flows, the state did not open the Mettur dam on its traditional June 12 schedule, causing Kuruvai season paddy cultivation to fall from the usual 5.3 lakh acres to 4.5 lakh acres, with local growers reporting widespread crop withering.

Key Highlights

• Rotational water release: Karnataka implemented a schedule of four 15-day rotational canal releases to preserve reservoir storage for drinking and critical needs.
• Water-sharing tensions: Karnataka sought a reduction in mandated flows to Tamil Nadu from 12,000 cusecs to 10,000 cusecs, citing reservoir stress and domestic drinking water priorities.
• Delta crisis: Tamil Nadu withheld the customary June 12 opening of the Mettur dam due to low storage, leaving extensive tracts of paddy land uncultivated across Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, and neighbouring districts.
• Bengaluru project friction: Maddur farmers expressed opposition to the planned allocation of 6 TMC of KRS water for the ₹6,939-crore Cauvery Stage VI drinking water scheme.
• Credit and livelihood strain: Cultivators facing potential crop failure expressed difficulty in repaying agricultural credit society and microfinance loans, prompting appeals for government loan waivers.

Why This Matters

The Cauvery basin supports vital food production and rural economies across both states. The delta districts of Tamil Nadu serve as a major agricultural hub, having supplied 39.5 lakh tonnes of paddy out of a state procurement total of 57.5 lakh tonnes during the 2025-26 procurement cycle. Water scarcity not only curtails crop output but also depresses broader rural economic activity, forcing local businesses to close early and threatening the income of agricultural labourers who earn ₹400 to ₹500 for half-day field work. Concurrently, rapid urbanisation creates competing demands, highlighted by Bengaluru’s Cauvery Stage VI project designed to deliver 500 MLD to 30 lakh urban and peri-urban residents, intensifying disputes between agricultural users and metropolitan drinking water allocations.

What to Watch Next

Legal arguments remain active before the Supreme Court, the CWMA, and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee, where Tamil Nadu continues to insist on the full mandated release of 12,000 cusecs daily while Karnataka seeks relief. Farmers’ groups in Tamil Nadu have demanded a complete, unconditional crop loan waiver of up to ₹1 lakh, rejecting earlier relief announcements. Administrative agencies are monitoring remaining monsoon activity to determine whether reservoir inflows improve sufficiently to support the longer Samba season and assess damage under state and central disaster response frameworks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Karnataka shift to rotational canal water releases?

The Cauvery Irrigation Advisory Committee decided to release canal water in four rotational turns of about 15 days active flow followed by 15 days closure to preserve KRS reservoir storage for drinking purposes and meet baseline legal obligations amid poor monsoon inflows.

Why was the Mettur dam not opened on its traditional date?

Tamil Nadu authorities did not open the Mettur dam on the customary June 12 date because reservoir storage stood at approximately 85 feet, well below the 120-foot capacity, following deficient monsoon receipts and lower inflows from upstream reservoirs.

What is the Cauvery Stage VI drinking water project?

Approved in February at a cost of ₹6,939 crore, the project aims to divert 6 TMC of Cauvery water annually from the KRS system to supply 500 MLD of drinking water to 30 lakh residents in Bengaluru and surrounding towns, leading to objections from downstream farmers concerned about irrigation supplies.

Source: Reporting based on updates from The Hindu.