Demand for Urgent Meeting Over Karnataka's Water Dispute
Call for Action on Water Rights
E. K. Palaniswami, the General Secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), has urged the Tamil Nadu government to adopt a firm stance regarding Karnataka's refusal to release water from the Cauvery River. On Friday, he called for an immediate all-party meeting to address this critical issue, emphasizing the need to protect the state's water rights and agricultural interests.
In a statement, Palaniswami pointed out that the Supreme Court had issued a clear ruling on the distribution of Cauvery water among the bordering states. According to this ruling, Karnataka was supposed to release 9.19 billion cubic feet (TMC) of water to Tamil Nadu in June, but only 2.91 billion cubic feet was provided. Furthermore, in July, Karnataka was expected to release 31.24 billion cubic feet, yet it has not met this requirement so far.
The AIADMK leader noted that the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee had instructed Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water daily from its reservoirs for a period of 15 days starting July 29.
He added, "The Cauvery Water Management Authority also directed the Congress-led government in Karnataka to comply with this order." However, Palaniswami criticized Karnataka's Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar for refusing to implement the authority's directives, instead opting to convene an all-party meeting in Karnataka.
Shivakumar has also suggested that if Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay visits Bengaluru for discussions, he would arrange for a helicopter tour of Karnataka's reservoirs.
Palaniswami warned that if a dam is constructed at Mekedatu on the Cauvery River, Tamil Nadu would receive no water, leading to severe water shortages for over 20 districts reliant on this river for drinking water, potentially turning delta regions into deserts.
He condemned Chief Minister Vijay's ongoing silence regarding the central government's response that the consent of bordering states is not necessary for the reservoir's construction. He also criticized Shivakumar for disregarding the orders of the Cauvery Water Management Authority.
Palaniswami urged the Tamil Nadu government to convene an immediate all-party meeting to discuss measures to protect the Cauvery River, which is vital for the state's farmers, and to halt the Mekedatu project.
He reiterated the demand for the upcoming agricultural budget to fully waive cooperative agricultural loans, recalling that the TVK had promised to forgive loans for farmers with less than five acres of land and provide a 50% discount for those with more than five acres during the 2026 elections. He stated, "After coming to power, the government only announced full loan waivers for marginal and small farmers with loans up to ₹75,000, while relief for those with higher debts was limited to ₹35,000."
Palaniswami claimed that Tamil Nadu's farmers have been protesting against this "misleading" announcement. He insisted that the TVK government must fulfill its election promises by fully waiving all cooperative agricultural loans when presenting the agricultural budget on August 6, 2026.
Failure to do so will result in the AIADMK launching a widespread movement against the ruling coalition.