New Delhi, Aug 16 : The Supreme Court is slated to hear, on Monday, Tamil Naduâ??s plea seeking directions to Karnataka to release 26.954 tmcft of Cauvery water, amid a continuing dispute between the two neighbouring states over sharing of the river water. As per the causelist published by the apex court, a Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta is scheduled to take up the matter for hearing on August 17.

The Tamil Nadu government had approached the apex court seeking directions to Karnataka to release 26.954 tmcft of Cauvery water, alleging that the neighbouring state had failed to comply with directions issued by the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) and the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).

The plea followed a decision of the CWRC at its 139th meeting held on July 28, when it reviewed the hydrological and meteorological conditions in the Cauvery basin and directed Karnataka to ensure a flow of 3,500 cusecs at Biligundlu for 15 days, from July 29 to August 12.

The committee had also instructed Karnataka to regulate releases from the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) and Kabini reservoirs to maintain the stipulated flow.

The CWMA, during its 54th emergency meeting held on July 30, examined the basin conditions and endorsed the CWRC's recommendation.

However, Tamil Nadu alleged that the quantity of water received at Biligundlu after the order was far below its rightful share. According to the state government, as of August 3, Karnataka's four major Cauvery basin reservoirs together held 77.537 tmcft of water.

The KRS reservoir had storage of 23.078 tmcft, Kabini 18.610 tmcft, Harangi 7.827 tmcft and Hemavathi 28.022 tmcft, with the total utilisable storage stated to be 67.517 tmcft.

Tamil Nadu argued that with such storage levels, Karnataka would have no difficulty in releasing its proportionate share of water. It also pointed out that heavy rainfall had been recorded in the catchment areas of the KRS and Kabini reservoirs, resulting in a significant improvement in inflows. The state government maintained that, based on the prevailing hydrological conditions and the prescribed sharing formula, Tamil Nadu should receive 26.954 tmcft of water at Biligundlu.

By contrast, the release directed by the CWMA -- 3,500 cusecs for 15 days -- would amount to only about 4.536 tmcft, which Tamil Nadu described as grossly inadequate.

The matter had earlier been deferred to August 17 after Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant informed the parties that Justice Vikram Nath, who was scheduled to hear the matter on August 13, had fallen ill.

Senior advocate P. Wilson had also mentioned an application filed by farmers in connection with the Cauvery water dispute. The CJI agreed to tag the farmers' application along with the state government's petition.

Karnataka's Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka on Saturday accused the state government of secretly releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu despite its public claim that not even a drop would be released to the neighbouring state.

Ashoka alleged that the government was releasing water from the KRS reservoir at night while farmers in Karnataka were facing shortages and people were struggling even for drinking water.

Targeting Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Water Resources Minister N. Chaluvarayaswamy, Ashoka questioned the governmentâ??s "two-faced" approach to the Cauvery water issue, accusing it of betraying the interests of Kannadigas. He warned that the BJP would intensify its protest across Karnataka if the government failed to stop the release of water.

/IANS