Cauvery Water Dispute: Over 40,000 shops closed in Tamil Nadu to protest against Karnataka | 6 things we know so far

More than 40,000 shops will remain closed in Tamil Nadu's Thanjavur district on Wednesday as a sign of protest over the Cauvery water dispute. The blockade is being held on behalf of the Cauvrey Basic Protection Coalition against the Karnataka government for refusing to provide its water to Tamil Nadu.

The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Monday adopted a resolution urging the Union government to direct Karnataka to release Cauvery water as per the orders of the Cauvery Water Management Authority. The resolution has been passed unanimously.

The Cauvery Delta Protection Movement held a protest in front of the head Post office in Tamil Nadu demanding the Karnataka Government to Release Cauvery Water. The protesters are demanding the Central government to intervene in the issue going on between the two southern states over the Cauvery water issue.

More than 300 cadres from Various Famers Associations participated in the protest. They raised slogans demanding to release of water from Karnataka.

All you need to know about Cauvery Water dispute

1) The Cauvery River, which flows through the southern Indian states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and the Union Territory of Puducherry, has long been at the center of a highly contentious water dispute. This enduring conflict, referred to as the Cauvery water dispute, has its origins in historical agreements and differing water-related demands.

2) On February 16, 2018, the Supreme Court delivered a unanimous judgment that resulted in a reduction of Karnataka's annual water releases from 192 TMC (Thousand Million Cubic Feet) to 177.25 TMC. This judgment also led to a decrease in Tamil Nadu's allocated share of water.

3) Following the court's directives, on June 1, 2018, the Indian government established the Cauvery Water Management Authority to oversee the implementation of the Supreme Court's decision.

4) On August 14, the Tamil Nadu government approached the Supreme Court, requesting its intervention in compelling Karnataka to immediately release 24,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs) of water from its reservoirs. Tamil Nadu urged the Court to instruct Karnataka to adhere to the release of 36.76 TMC of water, as mandated for September 2023 by the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) in 2007.

5) Karnataka argued that a decrease in rainfall within the Cauvery catchment area, which includes parts of Kerala, had resulted in insufficient inflow into its reservoirs. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah clarified that traditionally, whenever there was surplus water in the reservoirs, Karnataka had willingly provided it to Tamil Nadu. However, this year, adverse conditions have left Karnataka unable to fulfill this commitment.

6) On September 18, the Cauvery Water Management Authority reaffirmed the need for Karnataka to persist in releasing 5,000 cusecs (cubic feet per second) of water to Tamil Nadu for a period of 15 days, in line with the earlier order issued by the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee on September 12.